


A Stray's New Home

by Aspiring_Life



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Akumatized Adrien Agreste, Akumatized Ladybug, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-16 11:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7265806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aspiring_Life/pseuds/Aspiring_Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien’s Miraculous has been anything but that. Unlike Ladybug with her good luck all Chat has ever gotten is bad, and it seems to have rubbed off on his normal life. He receives a call one night and nothing is the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You may now welcome me to Ladybug hell. Read if you want I don’t really mind. I just saw a post and had to write this because I feel like shit so I’m taking Adrien down with me. I’m also kinda using some of the aspects from his original write up as Felix. Please, don’t hate me.

_Why? Why does this always have to happen to me? _Adrien thought, pressing his free hand to his slowly dripping eyes. He wished the tears would stop, but the more that he looked at it the more he felt the crushing reality. His grip was strong now, so strong he swore it should have broken; shattered into tiny bits and ruined his hand by now. Yet it held strong and he wanted nothing more than to throw it across the room and hope that this was all a dream.__

His phone screen glowed from his palm, illuminating his tear-streaked features in the dark. He wanted nothing more than to never again receive the call he had just gotten. It was from Nathalie, his father’s assistant and his poor excuse for a step-in mother. He’d gotten millions of calls from her before, and hundreds of them saying terrible things but never before had he felt the same crushing anguish as with this one. Then again, this is the only call like this that he’d ever receive.

He replayed it over in his head, hearing every syllable that had passed both of their lips. 

  


_It had been a rough night. Studies had kept him up late and when he’d finally gotten done he’d had nothing left in him. He’d had just enough energy to walk over and collapse on his bed, not even bothering to change clothes or put away his books. ___

_“Adrien? It’s me, Nathalie.” She sounded normal enough, the same void voice and proper execution of each word’s pronunciation. ___

_“Yeah, hi, Nathalie. What’s the matter?” It was late at night, and he typically didn’t get calls from her at this hour unless Gabriel was flying out on a sudden business trip or something else important. ___

_“I have some news. Important news.” She said it slowly as if convincing herself that telling him was going to be the best choice. _  
_Adrien sat up and rubbing the back of his hand into his tired eyes. “Okay, what is it?” He asked around a yawn. _____

_He could almost hear the way she was chewing on her lip. “Adrien, let me just apologize now. I’ve never wanted to be the one to deliver this but…” ___

_He could feel his nerves tighten, his mind suddenly awake. “Nathalie, what’s going on? Did something happen to my father?” ___

_“What? No! No, your father is still in perfect health, it’s just that...well, it’s your mother…” ___

_Adrien’s eyebrows knit together, confusion furrowing his mind. He had memories of his mother, the nice and warm woman that used to be here to love him and keep him safe from his father’s cruelty. Then he’d gotten his ring and the bad luck streak had taken over, starting with her leaving. ___

_“What is it?” He asked, his voice urging and on the verge of annoyance. “Nathalie, just tell me already.” ___

_“S-she passed away. Sh-she’s gone, Adrien.” Nathalie stuttered.  
That’s when Adrien froze, his body locking into position. He was stuck, his fingers digging into his messy hair, his toes halfway turned in a playful circle on his rug. His eyes were wide, staring unseeingly at that same rug, the moonlight that cascaded on it and the cold breeze that he could feel on the tips of his toes. ___

_His blood ran cold and his lungs seemed to fill with cement. His throat was closed by a hot and large ball that expanded more the longer he waited for breath to come back. His eyes began to fog over and his hand shook. ___

_“What?” He croaked. ___

_“You’re mother, she’s dead,” Nathalie repeated. ___

_Adrien felt his arm slide down the side of his head, coming to weightily plop to his side. He felt numb, his breathing coming harder and his lower lip quivering. This can’t be real, he thought in pure disbelief. ___

_“There was a car wreck this afternoon. They tried to get her out but she was pinned in the wreckage and there was a gas leak…” ___

_Nathalie continued on to describe what happened, entirely oblivious to the young man on the other end’s emotions. Adrien brought a hand up, covering his open mouth, trapping in the silent scream of horror. ___

_His mother was gone, dead, taken away forever. She had been the last blip of hope in his dismal life, and now she was gone. There was no chance of her coming back now, no chance of her coming to take custody over him. No anything. There was no hope, no chances, no luck. ___

_“Adrien?” Nathalie asked, her voice showing just the slightest hint of concern. “Are you alright? Should I come in—” ___

_“No.” He interrupted, his voice sounded raw and wounded even to him. “Don’t. I’ll be alright. Thank you for telling me.” ___

_“If you need anyone to talk to I can call a—” ___

_“I said I’m fine!” He snapped and hung up, clutching the phone like it was at fault for the news. ___

  


And so here he was, crying and trying to keep himself from really falling apart. 

He felt the whisper of a tap—maybe just his imagination—on his shoulder as the screen finally went dim and he was plunged back into the darkness of the night. He looked down at his ring, the silver shining in the moonlight. _It’s all this stupid thing’s fault. _The thought bounced around in his head, making its way into all of his mind and all of his rational.__

Then he definitely felt something on his shoulder. “Adrien…”  
It was Plagg, the little kwami more concerned than ever before. Adrien didn’t really know how to feel about Plagg. He was the cause of Adrien’s suffering. The cause of his bad luck and the cause of all his misfortune, and yet here he was, trying to comfort Adrien. Then the thought came bouncing back to the front of his mind. “It’s your fault.”

Plagg was startled by the words. “What are you—”

Adrien ground his teeth and stood, his body going rigid with anger. He was still crying and he could feel the tears dripping from his chin and to the floor. His kwami stayed hovering over his bed, his minuscule whiskers twitching.

“This is all your fault!” Adrien screamed at the small cat.

He knew he was being irrational, but all he could think about was the fact that ever since Plagg came into his life, ever since this ring appeared on his finger, he wasn’t able to shake his bad luck. He wasn’t able to get rid of the malevolence that always seemed to be just a turn away. The only thing that he could think was that he needed to get rid of this luck, he needed it to change.

“It’s your fault that she’s dead.” He barked at the small cat, his voice coming out in a hoarse venomous hiss. “And now you’re stupid bad luck has gone too far. I need you gone, I need to find Ladybug.”

“Wait, Adrien—”

But it was too late, Adrien had backed up and wasn’t looking at his kwami anymore. “Plagg, transform me.” He snapped bitterly, forcing his hand out so his small companion was sucked into it.

The transformation was fast, and before he knew it he was off, leaping out his window and running across the rooftops of Paris. But this run was different. He wasn’t as graceful and even alerted some people walking down the lit road of his presence by tripping a few times. He swore under his breath as he stumbled for another time, eliciting a gasping cough as he dropped down to one knee.

He could feel Plagg fighting him as well. His energy was draining and his thoughts were becoming more and more blurred. How was he supposed to find Ladybug in the first place? Did he just expect her to randomly show up and just help? This was stupid. Why did he do this?

And yet he couldn’t stop himself. He kept going, missing a jump. His feet hit the shingles on the roof and disappeared out from under him. He gasped out a croaked breath as he fell to his chest, slamming into the tiles that were too slick. He started sliding, clawing with all of his strength, trying to hook his nails into something.

His feet slipped over the edge of the roof, then his shins and knees. When his waist slipped over his claws finally snagged into a few tiles, jerking him to a halt. His shoulders ached with having to hold him up and getting back up was possibly the hardest thing he’d ever done. He slowly started pulling himself up, breathing hard and tears still running down his face.

Finally, he was able to hop over the railing of the balcony he had so stupidly missed. He landed in a crouching position, his hands coming up to press their heels into his eyes. His breathing was ragged and so were his nerves. He was going to get hurt if he wasn’t careful, but he knew at this point he’d lost all of his control.

His hands were shaking, his shoulders virtually vibrating. The lump was still there, if not harder now in the front of his throat. He could feel his breathing coming and going in jerky and sporadic bursts. He ran his hands through his hair and felt the ears that he was so well known for wearing. Then he pulled back his gloved hand, seeing the ring with its light glowing in the dark.

_This is all your fault, _he thought weakly but knew there was no more anger in him.__

“Chat?” The voice reached out to him in the dark, wrapping him up in its beautiful warmness, like a giant protective blanket.

He felt his heart skip a beat. No, not with my luck, he thought bitterly and stood. “L-Lady?”

He turned and came face to face with the last person he expected to see.  
Marinette was standing behind him, one hand raised towards her face as if she had just finished rubbing her eyes. Her hair was down and messy from sleep, her pink and white spotted pajamas were crumpled and frankly hung a little low on her shoulders and arms. The only thing that looked awake was her gaze.

The blue of her eyes was startling right now, vivid in the dim moonlight. Her look was alive with curiosity, but right now it was also lit by fright. That’s when it occurred to him that this was probably her home, and he had just slammed full force into her roof and almost slid off. Of course, that would have made a lot of noise and it probably scared her half to death.

“Oh, Marinette!” He exclaimed, trying to fake his usual suave manner as he wiped his nose on his leather-clad arm. “I didn’t wake you, did I? Princess?”

He was hoping that the nickname would get her flustered or at least annoyed enough to scoff and leave. No such luck.

Marinette came closer, her eyes squinting to look at him, studying his features. “Are...are you crying? Is...is something wrong?”

He tried to swallow but found the bulb in his throat still there, still alive and well. His tears started freshly again. Marinette, the warm and nice girl from his class who was always there to give him one of her shy and bright smiles could see through the dark and into him in less than a second. It was a shot through the heart to think that someone he barely was able to speak to was able to know him so well.

He lost it then, and he couldn’t help himself. He turned away as fast as he could but it wasn’t fast enough. He saw the look in Marinette’s eyes before his gaze had moved. “W-what? M-me, crying? Not likely!” He tried at his fake confidence again but Plagg wouldn’t allow him any. The vengeful kwami wasn’t giving him anything to work with.

“Chat? What’s wrong?” Marinette asked, her voice soft and her touch on his back gentle.

Chat took a deep breath, chuckling bitterly. “How is it that we’ve only met briefly a few times and you already know how to read me?”  
He saw her jolt, just out of the corner of his eye. “I, uh, have always been pretty good about that kind of thing. Besides, your mask doesn’t really stop tears.”

She dropped her hand from his back and leaned on the railing next to him, her elbow gently touching his as she stooped to rest her chin on her forearms. He looked over at her for a moment, marveling at how calm and put together she was about all this.

He wondered absently how this was the same girl from his class. She always seemed so flustered and embarrassed or even just plain out and simple shy whenever he tried to talk to her during school. She was always talking with Alya, yeah, and was the new class president, but she rarely was able to get a word out around him. He figured it had been with all boys, but now he wasn’t so sure. Why was she able to be so cool about hanging out with a defective Chat?

“So, are you gonna tell me what’s wrong?” Marinette asks for a moment, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Chat realized with a start that he was still staring at her. He returned  
his gaze to the skyline and took another deep breath. With another shock, he realized that he had stopped crying; well, almost. Breathing was still a trouble.

“It’s just some stupid thing with my other life.” He muttered and glared down at his ring.

Marinette nodded, as if understanding. “Well, do you want to talk about it inside, maybe over a cup of tea or hot chocolate? It’s kind of cold out here.”

Chat started, pulling away from the railing. “Are-are you inviting me in?”

Marinette looked at him over her shoulder, her expression slightly confused. She straightened, saying, “Well, yeah. What else would I be doing? Obviously, you need to talk to someone about this and I’m awake now, but I’m not going to hang out here in this cold night air.”

She walked back over to the hatch that undoubtedly lead back into her home. She bent to open it and stood again after exposing the inside of her house. “Are you coming?’

She didn’t wait for him as she climbed back down what seemed like a ladder into her house. Chat followed after a moment’s hesitation. He did need a friend right now, and getting out of the cold sounded like a good idea.

When he climbed down he noticed that there was no ladder. In fact, he ended up ungracefully falling through the hatch and plopping onto her bed. Immediately he sprung back up and walked down the set of small stairs that lead to the main area of her room.

She was at the door, offering him one of her warm and generous smiles. “I’ll have to be quiet so it may take me a little while, but I can promise you I’ll be right back.”

Chat brought his thumb and pointer finger together to form the ok signal, winking at her. He was slowly starting to regain his normal demeanor. Marinette gave a small nod in response and slipped out the door and into the quiet and dark interior of her home. Chat took the opportunity to look around her room.

She had a very organized room, lots of space and everything in its own place. He noticed the crafting tables and sewing machines set up on them. She must have designed and created a lot of clothing on that one table. He wondered absently what she had made besides that hat as his eyes prowled the rest of her room.

That’s when his eyes found the small area that seemed to be dedicated purely to pictures of him as Adrien. Plastered onto one of the walls—a smaller one—he found cutouts of magazine articles of him, pictures from the yearbook and random photos he’d never seen before pasted to the plaster. He walked up and examined each.

He remembered some of the shoots, and others he cared not to. Some of the random ones he remembered being taken of him, or at least what context they had been taken from. Some, on the other hand, didn’t look familiar in the least. He wondered when she’d found the time to take the pictures.

Then he heard a small gasp from the door and looked to see Marinette standing there with two steaming mugs in her hands. She was blushing high up on her cheek bones, the color abnormally red for her skin tone. Chat grinned and flicked his head back at the pictures he’d been studying.

“Have a bit of a crush, do we?” He asked playfully.

He watched as her expression took on that annoyed crease work that he always loved to elicit. Her nose scrunched up and her cheeks grew even darker. “So what if I do?”

Chat shrugged, a slight grin tugging at his lips. “I just think you could do better.”

Marinette seemed to ignore this statement. She walked over to him and held out the mug, but it was at such a distance that it made sure he would have to walk away from the picture wall. He felt a low chuckle bubble up in his throat as he walked to her, taking the mug graciously from her hands.

“Thank you, princess.” He gave her a wink and took a sip of the beautiful liquid, his gaze falling on the world outside her window.

It tasted amazing. It was almost like a chocolate cake and a cream tart were morphed together then melted into this delicious drink. He licked his lips excitedly and took a big mouthful of the liquid up, swallowing it down before it could burn his tongue.

“This is amazing.” He said to her, still looking out her window.

“It doesn’t come free.” She said slyly from where she stood, sipping from her own mug.

“Oh, and what might the price be?” He asked playfully. He was feeling so much better, almost like he was flying, soaring away from everything.

“Tell me what’s bothering you.” She said from the lip of her mug.

And suddenly he was grounded again, thrown back into the reality that he would have to face the truth. He felt suddenly weak, and tired. He sunk down onto her satte slowly, his hands clutching his mug for its warmth and for stability. He felt his mind whirring as he had to relive the phone call again, the emotions, and once again he was reminded of the cursed ring that resides on his finger.

“I—um—” his voice cracked and he coughed, shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts. “Well, it’s kind of complicated. Do you want the whole thing or the main premise?”

Marinette cocked her head to the side, seeming to consider the options. “How about the whole thing.”

Chat nodded, knowing that was coming. Marinette had always been a curious young lady. “Well, I guess it started when I got my Miraculous. You see, mine is not like Lady’s. Hers gives her good luck, while mine... only gives me bad.” He stopped and took another drink of hot chocolate, hoping the heat would soothe the lump in his throat. “It’s never really been that big of a burden on me before. I mean, yeah, I’m used to it, and usually Lady balances it out so my luck is pretty okay. But I guess tonight it just...ran out.”

Marinette sat down slowly next to him, her hands landing in her lap, her mug now half empty. “What happened?”

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, not as he was starting to cry again. His throat was swelling and his eyes starting to fog up. He sniveled a little and took a deep breath, tilting his head back to stare at her ceiling. God, this was hard.

Marinette was polite in her manner. She waited for him to calm down a little, and to finish his drink before he spoke again. The entire time she watched him, her eyes soft and apologetic. She knew this was hard, and yet she didn’t pressure him, and that’s probably what finally coaxed it out of him.

“My mother died earlier this evening.” He said, his voice coming out in a hoarse mutter. “I got the call a little while ago.”

He heard her intake of breath and even felt her stare on him become more intense, but also softer at the same time. For a long moment, she didn’t seem to know what to do as his tears began to spill over his lashes and onto the fabric of her satte.

Then he felt the mug being pulled from his grasp and saw her get up to walk and put them on one of her desks. When she came back over he could see the understanding softness in her expression, and the gentle caring in the way her eyes sought out his. He kept his gaze on her as she sat down, her arms coming up for a hesitant moment before winding around his shoulders in a warm embrace.

Chat was frozen for a moment, his hitched breathing stopping. Was she really hugging him? Was this actually happening?

“I’m sorry, Chat. I’m so sorry.” He heard her murmur from his shoulder, then her face was buried into the crook of his neck. Her breath was warm on his skin and came as a welcomed sensation.

That’s when his arms came up too, winding around her waist and pulling her closer as he buried his own face into her shoulder, crying softly. “Th-thank you, Marinette.” He whispered at one point.

They stayed like that for a long time, holding and supporting each other. At one point they both ended up sinking down to lay side by side on the satte, Chat still having tears run down his cheeks, but they had slowed considerably. They laid facing each other, their knees gently touching and their hands being brought up and pressed into one another.

Chat observed that he had considerably larger hands than Marinette, but it didn’t really come as much of a surprise. She did seem like a very slim girl.

When he laced their fingers together and brought her hand to his mouth to gently kiss her knuckles he found no response from the young girl. That’s when his eyes landed on her face. She was asleep again, her eyes shut and her lips slightly parted with her breath. It came as a shock to him that she had fallen asleep so fast, but he guessed he should have expected it, he had just woken her up after all.

He sighed, lightly whispering, “Thank you, Marinette, for everything.”

He was going to get up when he felt her grip tighten, seeing her brows furrow with some dream she was having. He looked down at her for a long time. Everything in him was telling him that he had to leave, his transformation couldn’t possibly last that much longer and he shouldn’t really stay out of fear of being discovered in the morning.

And yet no matter what he told himself he couldn’t seem to move from his position except to lay slowly back down next to the beautiful black haired girl that was beside him. He gently kissed her knuckles again, then her forehead.

He pulled away, his lips hovering just a hair before her brow. “I’m sorry, Marinette, but I can’t be alone right now. Please, don’t hate me in the morning.”

With that he laid still, closing his eyes and listening to her even breathing. It was calming, really, just to have her near him, and just to be able to feel her. The greatest comfort came from their intertwined hands. He could feel her pulse where their wrists met and it helped assure him that she was real and that he had comfort. 

And when his ring started beeping and his transformation left him he didn’t make any motion to leave. Instead, he laid there, his eyes closed, the melodic pulse and the rhythmic breathing of a beautiful girl lulling him slowly into slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette doesn’t know what to think. She spends the night with her superhero duo in the hopes to cheer him up. What she didn’t expect was to wake up sleeping next to him.

Marinette’s brain wasn’t working, and neither were her lungs. She seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, or at least she couldn’t feel herself taking in air. Did she still have lungs? Did she still have a throat? Nothing seemed to be going through it. No, of course, she still had a throat, she could feel her pulse pounding too loud and too fast through it. So why couldn’t she breathe?

Maybe it had to do with the sleeping Adrien in front of her? Or maybe it was the fact that their hands were intertwined, and he was using both as his pillow, curled under his soft golden hair? Possibly it was the fact that her knee was pressed to his, and their noses were only a few inches apart? It was hard to tell.

Or maybe it was just everything going on all at once. That was the most plausible answer. Marinette could feel the heat rising under her skin. It started down by her collar, then crept up her neck to her cheeks and face. She was biting on her lower lip, trying to keep herself from freaking out.

It was only dawn, so somewhere around five or six in the morning. Her parents luckily wouldn’t be up for another hour. The only reason she had even woken up was because of Adrien moving to use their hands as a cushion. She’d frozen then, realizing that Chat had never left.

_He’s changed by now, he has to be. _She’d thought as his face pressed into the back of her hand. _Oh, oh my gosh. His mask is gone. This is the boy behind the legend. Do I dare look? _____

____She rolled the thought around in her mind for a little bit before slowly, hesitantly opening her eyes. She had to know, she had to know who the boy was that proclaimed she was his one true love._ _ _ _

____That’s when her eyes found the face before her and traced the features she knew all too well. They fell on the hair that seemed to shine in the dim morning light, and her mouth fell open at the sight of their intertwined fingers beneath his mop of gold. This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be her partner. This wasn’t true._ _ _ _

____To think, for two—almost three—years now, they had been partners, and neither of their feelings had changed. Chat still claimed to be in love with her, and she still had a crush on Adrien. Sure, she had gotten better at hiding her feelings, but he’d only seemed to become more confident as time went by. To think, this was the same boy that had just last week leaned in close after stopping another Akuma and asked for a kiss—_ _ _ _

____Her skin erupted into a hot river at the thought of kissing him. A memory tugged at her mind and she was thrown back two years ago, to a special Valentine’s day. As if it were a dream she recalled Chat leaning over her, his black lips smiling. Her hands had come up, cupping his jaw and pulling him close. Then their lips had met and it had been pretty magical, but she’d never had time to enjoy it._ _ _ _

____Now to think that her first kiss had actually been with Adrien, and on Valentine’s day no less!_ _ _ _

____That’s when she heard the small yawn just above their heads. She looked up to see a small black cat curled up on her pillow. Well, it had been curled up, now it was sitting up and rubbing its eyes with its too small paws._ _ _ _

____The overly large head, the small body, the tiny limbs, and the way he yawned too much like a human made Marinette start. This was Chat’s kwami, just like Tikki was to Ladybug. Oh, god, Tikki. Marinette hoped her little friend would stay asleep._ _ _ _

____Her kwami presently was inside her closet, nestled under a pile of clothing. The little ladybug girl always loved to curl up under Marinette’s freshly cleaned and dried garments, claiming that the warmth helped to restore energy faster. Marinette had never objected and always found it adorable when she went to pick out a shirt and the little friend would fall out, startled awake._ _ _ _

____She didn’t know what Tikki would do if she saw Adrien and his kwami. She prayed that they wouldn’t make enough noise to wake her. And if they did she hoped the companion would be smart enough to stay hidden. Unlike Adrien, Marinette still wanted to keep her secret identity a secret._ _ _ _

____She took a deep breath, trying to work out a solution in her mind. What was she supposed to do? Wait until he woke up? That wouldn’t work out in her favor if he slept past eight. She always got up on weekends to help her parents with the confectionary shop. The thought of her sleeping in had never once crossed her mind._ _ _ _

____Suddenly she was staring into a sea of grassy green and her lungs instinctively expanded, creating a harsh sucking sound. Adrien was awake and apparently was awake enough to register just what the situation was before Marinette could even react. His hand came up, gently touching under his eyes, where his mask would normally be._ _ _ _

____When his fingers came back, more than likely realizing that he had changed back, his eyes shot to his lazy kwami sitting on the pillow above the two’s heads. His eyes sharpened for a moment before coming back to Marinette, turning soft with concern._ _ _ _

____Marinette, on the other hand, could physically feel all of her muscles tense painfully as her temperature jumped up a few more degrees and her face was awash in a deep red flush. She sat up, unintentionally jerking her hand from his and almost falling off the edge of the satte. Her lips fell apart in a stuttered scream that had yet to come free._ _ _ _

____Despite just waking up Adrien’s eyes were alive, and his mind quick. He seemed to register her expression in less than a second before his eyes grew wide with fright. He knew she was about to either a.) yell, b.) scream, c.) start into a stuttering storm from which there was no return, or d.) all of the above._ _ _ _

____Quicker than she thought possible without his Miraculous’s help he sat up, one of his hands coming around the back of her neck and the other clasping over her lips to trap in the scream. “Marinette, please, I can expla—”_ _ _ _

____She started, jerking backward instinctively, unintentionally pulling Adrien with her. Her hips slipped off the satte and she spilled over the edge of the cushion, landing with a thud on her rug. Adrien wasn’t fast enough to keep himself from falling too, but he was able to catch himself._ _ _ _

____In the time it had taken for them to fall he’d been able to take his hands back, planting them on the floor, but the momentum was too much and he’d been forced down to his elbows above her. Unlike Marinette who was lying on her floor, his lower half was still supported by the satte, so he was at an awkward angle._ _ _ _

____After a second of trying to catch her breath again, Marinette opened her eyes, peering up at Adrien. She didn’t have to look far, his nose was now virtually touching hers, their faces maybe a centimeter or two away. She drew in a sharp breath as he gasped, both just as shocked by their proximity._ _ _ _

____“M-Marinette, I’m so sorry.” He stuttered and pushed himself up to his hands, creating some space between them._ _ _ _

____Marinette took advantage and scrambled up, quickly squirming out from under him and practically running across her room until she tripped over her backpack and fell to the floor once more. She was breathing in short gasps as she turned to look back at Adrien._ _ _ _

____Apparently, she had knocked one of his arms out from under him in her panic to get away. He was now, face pressed to the floor, hands spread out above his head, and body hanging onto the satte by just the tips of his knees. If not for what was going on it would have been funny, but Marinette didn’t laugh._ _ _ _

____She gasped and ran back, gently taking one of his arms and helping him back up. “A-Adrien! I’m so so sorry. I didn’t mean to do it, I swear. I mean who would want to trip you up? Not me certainly. I just-I just…”_ _ _ _

____She trailed off after seeing the look he was giving her. It was as if he wasn’t really looking at her. It was almost like he was looking through her, into her thoughts and trying to find something crucial to him. She felt the flush coming back to her face and she looked away as his eyes continued to trace her._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry.” She whispered, her hands coming up to cup her cheeks, trying to hide the blush slowly creeping back._ _ _ _

____At that he jerked back, startled. “Why are you apologizing?”_ _ _ _

____Marinette looked up at him, her face pinched up with confusion. “I knocked you over, a-and pulled you off the bed. I mean couch! No, wait it’s a satte. I-just-ugh.” She gave up on talking and buried her face in her hands._ _ _ _

____“Um, okay, well you shouldn’t be the one apologizing,” Adrien said, his voice matter of fact. “I should be the one saying sorry for scaring you so much, and for...you know, everything.”_ _ _ _

____She peeked at him from between her fingers, but almost just as fast she covered them back up. Just the sight of him, his hair disheveled from sleep, his clothes rumpled and creased, his spirits and eyes so alive despite just waking up, made her want to melt into a puddle at his feet._ _ _ _

____“Marinette, you...you aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?” He asked suddenly, his voice cautious and quiet._ _ _ _

____That’s when she couldn’t help but look at him, and it was a bad decision. He was sitting with his hands open in his lap, his eyes glued to his palms. He was hunched over, a rare thing to see with Adrien, his posture was usually perfect. His hair fell forward to hide most of his face, and she could almost hear the shattered will beneath his voice. Her heart went into a stuttering spree in her chest._ _ _ _

____He looked up at her after she didn’t respond. “Are you?”_ _ _ _

____She jumped, remembering that she was a human and humans needed to communicate. “Uh, no! Um, what are we talking about?”_ _ _ _

____Adrien raised an eyebrow, his eyes going inquisitive. “About who I really am, I mean, the other me. Chat?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh, that you!” Marinette said with a nervous giggle, waving a hand through the air in a small gesture. “No, no. You can trust me. Your secret is safe with me.”_ _ _ _

____He stared at her a moment longer as she offered him a huge grin in the hopes it would reassure him. Then he sighed, a hand running through his hair. “I’m so glad that I can trust you, Marinette. I’m sorry about...about last night—and about this morning. Just about everything.”_ _ _ _

____She studied him, trying to read his expression. He had moved to rub the back of his neck, looking off at an angle, his eyes landing on her floor. He looked so tired, and so abash. It was hard for her to believe that he was the one embarrassed about this whole matter._ _ _ _

____“You don’t have to apologize.” She said softly, dropping her gaze and twirling her fingers in front of her. “I saw that you were, well, not yourself, and I thought that you could have used some company.” She glanced at him, just a quick look before looking back to her carpet. “I-I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Did-did you know her well?”_ _ _ _

____Adrien looked up at her, she could feel his stare landing on her, begging for her to look back, but she couldn’t bring herself to return his gaze. She didn’t want to become the same bumbling idiot as always. She’d gotten better over the past few years. In the beginning of their encounters she was always the same flustered mess, but the more they interacted the calmer she became._ _ _ _

____He offered her a sad smile, or at least she could hear it in his voice. “I guess you could say I did.” He murmured. “She moved away when I was still young, leaving me with my father, but everyone knows that. I just never expected something like this to happen…”_ _ _ _

____Marinette looked at him, just a glance, but in that moment their eyes met and she felt something in her chest move, something different than the typical flutter of her heart that she was so used to. She wanted to hug him, to protect him from all of this and tell him everything was going to be okay. But she didn’t, instead she stood awkwardly before him, still spinning her fingers around one another._ _ _ _

____“I’m sorry about staying.” He said after a short silence. “I knew it was a bad idea, but my house is always so empty and I just really didn’t want to be alone.”_ _ _ _

____Oh, no, she forgot how to breathe again. “Is that why you came to my house? So you could have a friend.”_ _ _ _

____She looked at him this time, waiting for an answer. He smiled shyly and brought a hand up to rub one of his shoulders. “Uh, actually it’s entirely by chance that I ended up here. I was looking for Ladybug and I missed the jump to your balcony.”_ _ _ _

____She flinched, an undetectable movement to him, but to her, it was all too obvious. He had come looking for Ladybug and had shown up on her balcony. What were the odds?_ _ _ _

____“Why-why were you looking for Ladybug?”_ _ _ _

____Adrien shrugged, the movement very Chat-like if that ever were a thing. “I told you last night. My Miraculous is all bad luck. I was hoping I could find Lady so she could remove it for me. You see, I can’t take the ring off; I’ve tried. I need her to do it, either that or Hawkmoth and I’m not letting him get it.”_ _ _ _

____Marinette stared at him. Was that the reason he was always wanting to hang around Ladybug? Why he’s always flirted with her? Just so he could butter her up and convince her to take away his bad luck?_ _ _ _

____“Is that why you always flirt with her? So you can get close and get her to take the ring off?” The question had passed her lips before she had a chance to stop it. She was shocked by the bitterness in her voice, and the pain in the way she now looked at him._ _ _ _

____His gaze was hot and hurt as he locked eyes with her. He sighed, the sound dejected. “Admittedly, at first, maybe just for a little I thought it would help. But that faded after our first battle together.” He grinned sadly at his hands still resting in his lap. “I mean it every time I flirt with her. Everytime I tell her how much she means to me—those are the moments in which I’m being the most honest to both her and myself.”_ _ _ _

____Her scorn melted away with those simple words. He really did love Ladybug, and she believed him wholly and truly. She considered telling him that she was Ladybug, but what would the point in that be? That would be the only way in which he would like her, for her Ladybug half._ _ _ _

____She wanted him to love her wholly, for who she really was. If he was ever going to get Ladybug, he’d also get Marinette; clumsy, shy, Marinette. She’d also have to work on trying to like his other half, Chat. If he truly was the same person, and she still liked him, she’d have to come to terms with that. She’d come to love both his halves, instead of just the Adrien she saw before her._ _ _ _

____She sighed, might as well get started by trying to act less awkward around him now. She moved to his side and sat down gently on the satte. She reached out and gently touched his shoulder, wanting to touch him, to tell him everything was going to be okay._ _ _ _

____“Adrien, I can promise you no one will find out you are Chat, at least not through me. And I’m not going to tell Lady or anyone about how you feel. But I do have a question. If you hated your Miraculous so much, then why didn’t you just ask her to take it off in the beginning?”_ _ _ _

____Adrien shrugged, unintentionally forcing her hand to flatten on his shoulder. “I guess because I like being Chat now. I like the confidence it comes with and I love the opportunities it gives me with Lady. We are a duo first and she’s my love second, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything,”—he looked down accusingly at the silver wrapped around his finger—”at least, until last night.”_ _ _ _

____Marinette must have blacked out, or just suppressed the memory of her moving, because before she knew it her arms were wrapped around him, her cheek pressed into the back of his shoulder. They both froze when she realized what she was doing._ _ _ _

_____Say something you idiot, _she hissed at herself. “Lady is lucky to have you with her. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened.”___ _ _ _

______She felt him relax, maybe because of her words, maybe because it was just her and she was just trying to comfort him (not really). Either way, he brought up one of his hands, his gentle fingers wrapping around her forearm that stretched across his chest. Marinette felt the skin he was touching heat up, almost like she was slowly catching fire._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m glad I have a friend like you, Marinette.” He murmured and gently stroked her arm with his thumb._ _ _ _ _ _

______The way the simple movement sent shivers up her arms and caused a hitch in her breath almost drove her crazy. If only he knew. She wanted him to know, but in time._ _ _ _ _ _

______She pulled back, folding her hands in her lap, hoping the blush spreading across her cheeks wasn’t too extreme. “So, what do we do now? There are two options: a.) we try and sneak you through the house and the bakery to the street below, possibly meeting up with my parents and having to explain this whole mess, or b.)—and I know you probably don’t want to do this one—but you could turn back into Chat and escape from my roof.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Adrien looked down at his kwami, then out the window. “I guess I don’t really have a choice with those kind of options, do I?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Marinette frowned slightly. “I guess not. I’ll go open the hatch, you can, uh, do whatever it is you have to do and come up when you’re ready.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She stood to walk back up the platform to her bed and her skylight but was halted by Adrien grabbing her wrist. “Marinette, wait.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She looked at him; his grip was gentle but it felt like her skin would burn away if he held her even a little stronger. “Yeah?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______That’s when his gaze drifted away from hers for what seemed like the first time all morning, landing on the point in which he held her. “I-I know this is really hard to take in and short notice and everything, but…” He trailed off, biting his lip._ _ _ _ _ _

______Marinette almost stopped breathing again. She wanted to kiss him right then, confess everything and wrap her arms around his neck, but she held herself back. “You can ask me anything.” She told him softly._ _ _ _ _ _

______He nodded as if reassuring himself. “It’s just that—now that someone knows who I am—I was wondering if I could maybe come to you if anything ever happened? Like if I got hurt and needed to get patched up, would you help me? Or if anything like last night happens again, could I talk to you?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She stared at him, dumbfounded. Adrien Agreste, one of the most confident and put together people she’d ever seen was asking her if he could come to her with _his problems? _What was real life at this point? Then again, he obviously wasn’t over his mother yet. It _had _only been one night, and it would take a lot longer than that to heal that kind of a wound._____ _ _ _ _ _

__________She nodded, a warm smile spreading across her lips. “If at anytime you need anything, come straight to me. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night, you can come to me, Adrien.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She turned her hand around in his grasp, gently holding onto his wrist for a moment before letting go and climbing up the stairs to her bed. Then she looked back down at him, he was still sitting there, looking up at her, incredulous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Oh, and that goes for Chat too.” She said with a smile before opening her skylight and climbing through._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It was a cool morning as she climbed onto her balcony and made her way over to the railing. She hugged her arms close around herself and took a deep breath, thankful for the cool air clearing her mind. This was a lot to take in, but she was glad it had happened. Maybe now the two of them could actually start working on being friends or even...something more?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She heard the soft landing of boots on the concrete behind her, and also heard her skylight close slowly. She turned after a moment and one more deep breath, who knew how this goodbye was going to go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She had made a mistake on not turning earlier. She found a pair of green eyes staring at her from merely an inch away. She jumped back, yelping. Chat’s face split with a bright but sad grin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“That’s twice now I’ve been able to make you jump, princess.” He chirped and pulled out his baton, having it extend to just the right length to act as a cane on which he rested his hands. “I think if you aren’t careful I might make a habit of it, cause you look too dang cute when you’re flustered.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Marinette didn’t appreciate being called ‘cute’ let alone the smugness he somehow now acquired. It was almost impossible to believe that this young man was the same boy who had just been sitting in her room only moments before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I forgot how different you are as Chat.” She noted as he flicked back a lock of hair, looking all too pompous._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“By ‘different’ do you mean charming?” He asked and winked at her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She scoffed and batted at his chest. “You are one crazy cat, Chat Noir. Then her expression grew concerned and sad. “Please, be careful making your way home. Don’t miss any more jumps or anything.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Something like surprise rolled over his features for a split second before it was replaced by a warm and gentle grin. He walked over to her, one of his clawed fingers coming up under her chin to raise her face to his._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“If you are so concerned then I will guarantee that I will be even more cautious than normal in making my way home. I wouldn’t want you to have to patch me up this soon after agreeing.” Then his grin faded, replaced by such a sincere and hot look that it sent shivers down Marinette’s spine and brought heat back to her cheeks. “Thank you, Marinette, for everything. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He softly kissed the tip of her nose and smiled gently—sadly—one last time before pulling his hand away from her, taking a step back and turning to leap up on the railing to her side. He crouched there a moment, looking over the city, his eyes tracing the roofs he’d have to pass to get home._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Then he looked back over his shoulder, his gaze landing on her. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Princess.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________And with that he was off, leaping from roof to roof. Marinette was left standing in awe and flushed in the cold. Did all of that just really happen? Did she really just wake up next to Adrien, then get a kiss from Chat Noir?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She dropped down into a ball on the floor of her balcony. Her hands scrunched into her hair as she started to freak out. What exactly was going on? This all had to be a dream, didn’t it? It couldn’t have been real. And yet, the feeling of her hand intertwined with his, the softness of his lips as they pressed against her nose; it certainly had felt real._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“So, Adrien is Chat Noir?” She heard behind her, recognizing the small voice of her kwami._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She dropped her hands, placing them gently on her knees as the little red friend came to float at her shoulder. “Yeah-yeah I guess he is,” Marinette responded, still not fully believing it herself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“That’s good news!” Tikki beamed and gently patted Marinette. “Now you can finally have the chance you’ve been waiting for!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Marinette sighed, this was going to be a long and tough road to get him to like her. The real her. “Yeah, I guess it is.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have died and gone to heaven. Thank you all so much for the support on the first part. I have no idea where this is going to go or how long the series is gonna be. I have an ending I want to get to, but the middle is still just asdlkjf. By the way, this is actually set when they are third year’s in school (juniors). Sorry, for not clarifying that last time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter, the enemy Ladybug was dreading.

School, was...interesting, to say the least. It started off with Marinette asking him how he was with only the slightest signs of blush across her cheeks. Then went on to her checking up on him or asking him for help often throughout the next few periods. During lunch she was even confident to come up and sit with Nino and him, pulling Alya along with her.

He was glad she was being so nice to him, but also a little disturbed. He’d known she liked him for some time, ever since she was nervous to perform the kiss scene with him their first year together. Admittedly he’d wanted it to be her, but that didn’t mean he had feelings for her. His heart was already pledged to Ladybug.

Then it occurred to him, she wasn’t very fond of Chat Noir, and he knew that. So, maybe now that she knew who he was she was trying to see him more like Chat, so that way she could hang out with him normally? He had no clue, either way, it was reassuring to have her around. He couldn’t quite explain it, but she was just a calming presence to him, no matter how nervous she appeared.

It went on like this for a few days, and he couldn’t really complain. He liked having Marinette around. She was a really cool person once you got to know her, and they had finally been given the chance to talk more. He’d found it flattering before when she’d get flustered, but it was also hindering. Now the hinderance was almost eliminated and he could really get to know her.

After school Thursday, he accidentally ran into her on his way out of the locker room. “Oh, sorry, Marinette.”

“No, no, it was my fault.” She replied with a small smile, stooping to pick up the content of her bag.

Adrien dropped to one knee and helped in the clean up. She’d been holding her bag, rifling through it to the side of the door. She’d been hidden by the wall and as Adrien had turned the corner he’d collided with her, her bag falling and the content spilling out onto the concrete. Cleanup work was fast, but it took longer for them to talk to each other.

They stood, neither of them saying a word as they looked each other over. The silence was almost painful and Adrien wondered if it had always been this way, always been this hard to find words. Luckily, she was the one to break the silence.

“So, how have things been?” She asked, her voice soft and her eyes drifting to what looked like his sleeve.

He resisted the urge to smile. She was playing her role of his new friend well. He liked this Marinette, even if she was still a little shy, she was at least talking with him now. “Things have been good. Thank you, by the way, for being so nice to me, but I’m fine now.”

She nodded. “Okay, just know I’m here for you.”

He smiled and she turned to start her walk home. The question had been nagging at him all of the week, and now he had to ask her, or else he wouldn’t forgive himself. “Actually, Marinette, can I ask something of you?”

She stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. “Sure, what is it?”

He felt some heat come to his cheeks, and sadness settled in his heart like a cold stone. “Um, so, the funeral is this Saturday, and I was wondering if maybe you would come? I know you didn’t know her, and it’s to a funeral and all but...I’d feel a lot better if I had someone there with me. Nino is going to be busy with his parents and I don’t really know Alya all that well…”

She seemed to consider for a few moments. “You want me to come with you for comfort?”

He flinched at her words. This was a bad idea. “Yeah.” The word was drawn out, feeling tugged from his throat. “But you know what? Never mind. I don’t know why I asked. I’m sorry. I’ll-I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He turned to leave but was stopped by a small hand landing on his shoulder. He looked back to find Marinette reaching out, her fingers curling around his shoulder in an all too nice way.

She offered him a sweet and sad smile. “Of course, I’ll go with you, Adrien. What are friends for? You’ll have to either bring the information with you tomorrow or, you could text me it.”

He blinked at her, how had he never noticed just how amazing of a person she was? “But, I don’t have your number.”

Marinette blushed and looked slightly hurt. Did he have her number? Had she ever called or texted him before? He didn’t remember any calls or messages. “Well, I-I could, you know, enter it into your phone. That is if you want! I really don’t want you to have to deal with my number if you don’t want it.”

He smiled, she was getting flustered and her cheeks were tinted red again. He kinda liked how she was so different around his two halves. Around Chat, she was so real and sassy, and around this him she was the shy and sweet girl he’d come to know. He loved that about her, but he kind of wished the two sides would meet at some point, so that way he could see the true Marinette.

His hand dove into his bag and emerged after a moment with his phone clutched between his fingers. He hadn’t used it since the call from Nathalie, and now he felt a sad spark in his chest as he looked down at the device. Still, he turned and held it out to Marinette, feeling almost joyous at the thought of finally having her number.

She looked between the phone and him for a moment. Then he seemed to realize why she was looking at him like that: he had to unlock the phone. “Oh, sorry.” He said with a light chuckled and quickly drew in the pattern lock.

As the screen came to life and the contact button appear under his thumb he heard something overhead that made him pause and look up. It sounded like something had just shot by, a whistle being heard. And now that he was paying attention he could hear the screams coming from the outside of the school.

Marinette apparently heard too, her head spinning to gaze at the front doors. “What on Earth…”

They both took off running, forgetting about their conversation. They burst through the front doors of the school and looked around, one of their classmates, Chloe, was pinned to the ground by what looked like razor sharp pink slips of paper. She was screaming that she was going to die, but upon further examination, they didn’t actually touch her. The paper had simply gone through her jacket and into the ground behind her.

Adrien immediately became aware of the man standing on the roof of the school and spun to see his anger pinched face. He was a small plump man with orange hair that was balding and a small cap sitting lopsidedly on his scalp. His skin had turned a light grey-blue like most akumized victims did, and his outfit was a light blue zoot suit.

He clutched more of the razor paper in his fat hands and his beady eyes glared down at Chloe. “You’re father has let go of too many good people. This time, he will pay!” He bellowed.

Adrien immediately took off running, going back to the school to find a place in which he could transform. Then he remembered Marinette. He looked behind him and was surprised by how she had just utterly disappeared. He was thankful that she was smart enough to get to safety in a situation like this.

He ran into one of the supply closets and called upon his kwami to transform him again. Plagg and he had gotten over what had happened Saturday night, but the thought was still there, in the back of his head. He really didn’t like how his luck was always so terrible. He wanted nothing more than to be rid of the bad luck, but he was at peace with it for now, knowing it was saving others and allowing him to see Lady.

After the transformation had taken place and he was back to his dashing feline self he leaped into action, bursting out the door and back out to the front of the school. His hand instinctively grabbed out his baton and it extended with his touch. He grinned and ran towards Chloe, hoping that he’d get to her in time. He didn’t have to worry, Ladybug was already there pulling at the paper that trapped the screaming teen.

That’s when the laugh was caught by his ears. He turned to see the man standing on the roof chuckling. He had raised a hand and was getting ready to throw another piece of paper. In an instant Chat was able to make out the exact angle that the paper was going to fly and land. It was aimed at Lady and would hit her square in the back if he didn’t act.

He took off sprinting, moving faster than thought could conceive. His body was charged with feelings and with adrenaline. He could feel all of his muscles moving, his feet pushing off the earth beneath him like a vault taking him in the direction he needed to go. He could feel the sensational flowing of his arm muscles as he brought up the baton and started spinning it in a circle faster than the eye could catch.

He put himself between Lady and the paper just as it arrived. It hit his baton and was deflected away, flying off to split the concrete a few feet away. He stopped spinning his baton and stood in a wide stance, glaring up at the round man. The man sneered. “Chat Noir and Ladybug, you’re ruining my plans. And I don’t have time to edit my schedule or yours. So, if you could, _leave! _”__

__He chucked another piece of razor paper and Chat deflected it, sending it skittering across the ground. He looked back at Ladybug, still struggling to pull up the pieces that trapped Chloe. “Are you okay, my lady?”_ _

__She shot him a look that he was oh, so used to by now. “I”m fine, just keep him busy long enough for me to get her free.”_ _

__He nodded and looked back to the man. He really was peculiar looking, but he didn’t really have time to fully evaluate the full extent of the man’s fashion because he was now monologuing._ _

__Every villain was the same. Insert reason for tyranny here, claim a name and shout it to the heavens (his was Loadoff), and swear vengeance on the people who have wronged them. He was so used to it by now that he took the opportunity to run towards the building and start to climb the side. Luckily, he had made Loadoff more angered with him than Chloe or Lady, so he’d bought them some time. Still, he hurried._ _

__His cat-like agility was a good tool towards helping to climb the building while avoiding the onslaught of razor paper. Soon he was standing on the edge of the roof, his baton spinning at this side. He chanced a glance at Lady and saw that she had been able to free Chloe. She was looking up at the two, her hand flying to her yo-yo. He was grateful that this wouldn’t be a one on one battle._ _

__

__Loadoff sneered at the teen, his paper glinting in the light. The only piece that didn’t seem to actually be made of metal was the pink slip sticking out of his front suit pocket. Chat guessed that was the item holding the Akuma. He glanced down at Lady again; she would know how to get it away from him._ _

__He missed the old days, back when they both started out as Lady and Chat, when the villains were dangerous, yes, but not inherently lethal. There had always been a way to get out of each battle without getting hurt, or leaving getting a lasting mark. Now, they were lucky to get through their battles with only a few bruises. Being superheroes was hard work, and they couldn’t simply go to the doctors and say they've been hurt protecting Paris. They still had their identities to protect._ _

__Still, he faced down the razor papered maniac and smirked. “Got laid off, did we?”_ _

__Loadoff made a growling sound deep in his throat. “Yes, I did. The Mayor said he didn’t need a layabout on his watch and that it would be a load off of the company.”_ _

__Chat frowned at that. It was hard to hear that kind of a thing, even he knew that. “Even for the Mayor, I have to admit that is low. But why have you turned your hate on others?”_ _

__“Because they need to know what it’s like to be in my position. To know my pain!” He threw his arm back, a piece of paper pinched between two fingers._ _

__Chat threw his arms up in defense but heard and saw the string that wrapped around the man’s wrist. Loadoff looked back to see Ladybug behind him, a small grin curling her lips. “I’m not ruining the fun am I?”_ _

__“Not at all!” Chat chirped, readying his baton. “In fact, this gentleman was just telling me about his old job, my lady.”_ _

__The sound that came from Loadoff’s throat was animalistic and terrifying. Chat flinched and Ladybug jumped as he turned and threw one of his razors at Lady, her flinch forcing her to avoid it by only a hair. Chat exhaled sharply and locked his eyes on Loadoff, a burning rage towards the plump man burning in his chest. He growled and leapt forwards, his staff coming up to sweep sideways towards his opponent._ _

__He missed, Loadoff having stepped backwards. He chuckled and threw another piece of paper, this time at Chat. Chat couldn’t move fast enough to block it this time and the paper sliced through the skin of his arm. He let out a bark in pain and looked at his injury. It was only a flesh wound, he’d be fine in fighting. This would probably be a fast battle._ _

__Or so he thought until Loadoff shook away Lady’s yo-yo and took off running. He was fast for his size and was able to build a small platform to jump onto with sheets as he moved along. Chat and Lady exchanged looks before taking off after the man. Never before had an enemy been this dangerous, actually having razors and tools that could kill them on the spot. This was going to be a challenge._ _

__Chat used his instincts to predict where Loadoff was heading and took off in a different direction as Lady sprinted after the man, using her yo-yo to swing between buildings and into a few alleyways, then he lost sight of her. Still, he ran hard. He knew Loadoff would be heading towards the courthouse, looking for the Mayor to get revenge on. He thought that maybe Loadoff would take the longer route, and this way might be faster._ _

__So he ran towards the tall building and up the stairs just as he heard a scream come from within. He didn’t recognize the scream itself, but the spew of profanity that came after was undeniably Ladybug. He forced himself to move faster as he burst through the doors and saw Ladybug standing before Loadoff. She looked fine enough as he moved to her side, but he wondered absently if she had been the one to scream and what would have caused it._ _

__Loadoff was sneering and the three locked themselves into a silent battle of wills as he stood before the Mayor’s door. Chat could sense Ladybug running a plan through her mind, and he was trying to formulate his own. The only option he could see was to get up there and somehow get rid of the man’s pink slip. How he’d get it away from him, Chat wasn’t sure._ _

__Then the silence was broken by a small beeping. Chat’s eyes shot to Ladybug’s earrings. Already she was down to only one spot left. That was unusual, her transformation usually lasted much longer than this, especially since she hadn’t even used her Lucky Charm power yet. She gasped and reached for her earring, knowing what it meant._ _

__Chat’s eyes glided back at Loadoff as a grin split his face and he slipped into the Mayor’s room. Chat turned quickly to Lady, stepping between her and their foe. “Go. I can take care of him until you can change back.”_ _

__She shook her head; Chat unconsciously noticed that she hadn’t moved to go around him. “You need my help. I don’t want you getting hurt.”_ _

__They heard a shout from the Mayor’s room and it threw both out of their conversation. Chat quickly leaned forward and pecked Ladybug’s cheek with a soft kiss. “No time to argue. Go.”_ _

__He turned and took off then, jumping and swinging himself up onto the upper balcony and into the hall before the Mayor’s office. He ran to the door and burst through, looking around for Loadoff._ _

__The orange haired fiend stood on the other side of the room, the Mayor pinned to the wall before him. He was holding a piece of paper to the Mayor’s throat, spewing threats in a low, deep voice. Chat pulled his baton and quietly circled to the back of the two, trying hard to go unnoticed._ _

__He must have made a sound, or moved too fast, or something as he began his approach because Loadoff spun, bringing his arm out in an arching loop that caught Chat across the body. He screamed as he felt the edge of the paper slice through his leather jumpsuit and into his chest. He staggered back, his hand coming up to his front. It came away bloody, but he was still breathing, and still standing, so he hadn’t hit anything vital yet._ _

__He broke his baton off so it was in its two halves. Then he began to spin both in coordinated circles, deflecting more papers as they came soaring at him. The Mayor, luckily, was smart enough to dodge underneath his desk and curl up. Chat, on the other hand, stood and faced the maniac who’s stare dug into him almost as far as his weapons could._ _

__As his arms tired and the papers kept coming, he began to panic, his mind going into overdrive. He needed to figure out a way to get that pink slip out of Loadoff’s suit pocket. But how?_ _

__He looked around him, trying to take in everything. The bookshelves to the right of Loadoff looked old, or even off balance. He didn’t wait for another sheet to be thrown, this time, he went into action. He threw half of his baton forwards, programming it to expand when it hit the wall before releasing. It stuck perfectly between the shelf and the wall and expanded, the side of the bookcase collapsing inwards and buckling._ _

__The books and the wood came tumbling down, covering and knocking over Loadoff. The small man was trapped under the weight of everything, dazed and confused looking as the remainder of his papers skittered out of his hands._ _

__Chat moved fast, sitting up on the pile of books and reaching down, grasping the actual sheet of paper. He pulled it from Loadoff’s pocket and leapt off, running across the room to the door. He needed to find Lady so she could cleanse the Akuma inside this paper. If he didn’t do so soon, Loadoff could still very well kill all of them._ _

__He was just about to reach the door when it suddenly opened. Chat was going too fast to stop and he ended up running straight into the edge, the wood digging into his forehead and cutting his skin. He fell backwards, his forehead bleeding and a throbbing running through his skull. He reached up and grasped at the new cut, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain in his head._ _

__“Chat!” He heard and looked up to see Lady squatting next to him, searching for his eyes. “I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...oh, you stupid cat!”_ _

__He smiled at how she got so mad at him for something that was more than likely both of their faults. “I’m fine, now take care of this.”_ _

__He handed her the pink slip and she nodded, taking it quickly. Loadoff was just about to emerge from his cocoon of books as Ladybug tore the piece of paper in half and threw it on the ground, the black butterfly coming free._ _

__Chat watched in amazement as she went about cleansing the insect and throwing up her Lucky Charm after she summoned it. He was relieved when everything went back to normal, well, almost everything. The injuries they retained rarely were fixed by her Miraculous power. The only one to be fixed on him was the mark on his face, which he was grateful for. He had a photoshoot at the funeral Saturday._ _

__Then he remembered Marinette. He’d have to get the information on the funeral tonight so she could make or get her outfit ready by then. That’s one of the reasons he wanted her there with him, the photo shoot. It was going to go on during the funeral so he could show off the new suit style while having, ‘real emotion showing through the gloom’._ _

__Sometimes he wanted to kill his photographer._ _

__He stood then, dusting off his suit and stretching the leather back over the gash on his chest so Lady wouldn’t see it. He didn’t want her to know that he was hurt. She turned to smile back at him and held out her fist like always. He smiled and bumped it with his own knuckles cheering on as she said, “Well done.”_ _

__Then he heard the beeping of her Miraculous again. Why was hers timing out so quickly today? Did something happen to her? She seemed just as startled by the sound as he was. “Um, it looks like I have to go. I’ll see you later, my good kitty.”_ _

__She started towards the door and slipped out, Chat hot on her heels. He caught at her wrist as she left, pulling the door closed behind him so the Mayor and his former employee couldn’t hear them. “Lady, wait.”_ _

__She turned to him with an inquisitive look. “What is it?”_ _

__“Why is your Miraculous timing out so fast today? Did something happen?”_ _

__She was good at covering things up; having one of the best poker faces Chat had ever seen. And yet it still wasn’t good enough. He saw the flash of fear that crossed her face before it was covered up by a simply small smile. “My kwami was too tired today. She just needs to rest some. Don’t worry, everything is okay.”_ _

__Chat nodded and let go of her as she offered him one last smile before dodging forward to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Stay out of trouble, Chat.”_ _

__He nodded and gently reached up to touch his cheek as she leaped from the balcony to the floor before. He didn’t move to watch her go, being too in shock to move. She had just kissed him on the cheek. That had never happened before. Ladybug had always made it explicitly clear that she didn’t like him in any romantic way. So, why did she…_ _

__He heard the beeping of his own Miraculous and jumped. He only had about ten minutes left, but he could still feel the pain from the cut on his arm and the other on his chest. He knew he was probably still bleeding from the one on his chest, and just the thought of that made him sick. He wondered absently how bad it was._ _

__He had no choice. He couldn’t go to the doctors without raising alarm and he _certainly _couldn’t go to his father. There was no other option in this scenario. He had to go to Marinette. He felt bad about it, certainly, but he needed the help, and she was willing to do so.___ _

____He just hoped she had made it home alright. He took off running, hoping his transformation would last long enough for him to make it there._ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I think I know what I’m doing now. This is basically a segway scene to the next one, the one I really wanted to write. ~~Who am I kidding? I have no clue what I’m doing. ~~~~~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a battle leaves both heroes injured and in need of help they find themselves at Marinette’s home.

Marinette slipped down through her skylight and landed on her bed with a hollow thunk as her transformation wore off. Her hand reached out quickly for the railing leading up here, her right leg collapsing and forcing her down to one knee. She gasped in pain and ground her teeth together as she felt the bleeding resume and smelt the blood that had already dried.

Always, Ladybug had taken pride in coming out of battles unscathed or at least with only minor bruising. Never before had she gotten a gash this bad. She’d been distracted in wondering where Chat was when Loadoff had thrown one of his razors, its edge implanting itself in her leg. She’d screamed and felt her energy begin to drain. Never before had she been hurt so badly in battle.

“I’ll grab the bag out,” Tikki said and flew down to the main part of her room.

Marinette was grateful for her little kwami wanting to help, but she was also concerned. Whatever injuries she sustained, her companion also endured part of. That’s why her transformations hadn’t lasted that long today; Tikki wasn’t used to being hurt like that. She was just glad that Chat hadn’t seen her injury, otherwise, he would be able to figure out that she’s Ladybug.

Slowly she started making her way down the stairs, mainly hopping on one leg as her mind swam. She moved across the room to her satte as Tikki brought over the bag of medical supplies that had been stashed away under her sewing desk.

For about a month or two now Marinette had been slowly stockpiling different medical materials—bandages, different ointments, sanitary needles, sterile thread, syringes—in case of any big injuries from battles. Now she was relieved and amazed at how right her forethought had been. That’s also one of the reasons she’d agreed to patch up Adrien/Chat if he ever got hurt because she already had the supplies.

She started by taking off her clothes, Tikki being kind enough to bring her a dress instead as she inspected her gash. Nothing too deep, just some disinfecting and some bandages and she would probably be fine. With her luck, there would be no scar left.

She changed into the dress and started clearing out the cut, carefully rubbing the blood away with water and alcohol. It burned and her eyes filled with tears as she was nearing the end, but she refused to let any noise escaped her lips. Then the job was done and she started applying the ointment in slow and gentle movements. It burned and forced her to bite down hard on her lower lip. She had to force herself not to break her own skin.

After wrapping it in bandages and covering it up with the rest of her dress she felt better. Her head wasn’t swimming as much and her headache wasn’t as bad. She needed water and some food. She needed to keep her energy up so she wouldn’t pass out. She winced as she started off on a quest for the downstairs of her house.

It was some feat, she had to admit, as she made her way down the stairs. She had to stop a few times to keep herself from throwing up, but the pain was starting to move towards a low stinging and throbbing. She could handle that if only it would move faster in that direction.

She took a deep breath at the entrance to the kitchen and plunged in, going as quick as she could to the cabinet, grabbing a pitcher, filling it, and grabbing out some crackers and peanut butter. She placed each of the items carefully on a tray and started back up the stairs, taking a glass with her as her shaky hands had to balance the tray. Still, she made her way back up to her room.

“I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to come back,” Chat said playfully from his spot on her satte.

Marinette nearly dropped the tray she held. He was stretched out along the cushion, the pillows propping up his sliced arm. She became immediately aware of the fact that he was missing the top of his suit, it being discarding in a shapeless pile on the floor. His tan and cut chest was exposed to the open air of her room and she forgot how to breathe again. What was the importance of lungs at this point if she rarely ever used them?

He grinned at her quivering expression and nodded towards the medicine bag she’d left on the floor. “Were you expecting me or something?”

Marinette shook off her dazed mind and huffed indignantly. “Or something.” She muttered as she crossed the room and set down the tray on the floor, finding no free surface close enough. Absently she noticed that it was easier to walk now, and she could hide the limp easily. “I’m guessing you need some help?”

He nodded and stretched his uninjured arm above his head in an oh, so dramatic way that made her want to slap him. “You’re knight is in need of help after enduring a brutal battle with a mage whose importance had been woefully undermined.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him, grabbing the medical bag and glancing at his chest. It didn’t look bad enough to need stitches, then again it was still bleeding so it could be worse when cleaned up. She reached down to the small tray and picked up the pitcher, pouring some water on a cleaning pad she pulled from the pack.

She looked down at her tray of water and snacks and sighed. It looked like he was going to be needing those more. She picked up some of the crackers and handed them to Chat, filing a small dish with some peanut butter. She set down the peanut butter and grabbed the glass, filling it with water and handing it off to the feline boy. He looked at her oddly but drank with feverish want.

“Were you expecting me?” He asked suddenly as he finished his first glass. His joking tone had left, replaced by a curious simplicity.

Marinette sat forward and gently pressed the cloth to his chest, rubbing away the blood that was already drying. She kept her eyes glued to the work before her as she responded, “No. I was just hungry.”

He nodded and bit into a cracker, dipping it first in the peanut butter. He ate as if he wished to become fat within the minute, scarfing down the first pack of crackers with such ferocity that Marinette hesitated in giving him more. Still, he needed his energy, so she handed over the next pack and watched as he munched away.

Just as she finished cleaning the dried blood away her mutinous stomach decided to sell her out and growl loud enough that all of Paris must have heard. It certainly made the both of them jump, Marinette turning a new shade of red yet to be discovered by man. She clasped one of her arms around her stomach and bit the inside of her cheek.

Then Chat was looking at her way too softly, too concerned for the position he was currently in. “You’re still hungry, aren’t you?”

She shrugged and pulled out some cotton patches and looked back over the injury. She frowned, her fingers gently running along the skin around the gash. It was too deep at one end. She was going to have to give him stitches. The idea made her skin crawl.

Then she saw something odd. Chat had bent and was carefully dipping a cracker into its spread with deliberately exaggerated movements. Then it was brought up in front of her face and she jerked back. Chat’s eyebrows knit together and he frowned. “I thought you were hungry.”

“I am,” she said, a little too harshly, “but I’d rather not you get crumbs all over yourself in an attempt to feed me. I’ll get something else later.”

He seemed saddened by this and gently set down the cracker in the now empty peanut butter bowl. He sat still then, apparently losing his appetite. Marinette didn’t like that he was being so stubborn, but she knew there was no helping it.

His chest was starting to slowly bleed again and she sighed. Luckily, she’d been able to get some painkillers from a doctor she’d helped to save the other week. She pursed her lips and pulled them out, starting to unscrew the lid. “Chat, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I’m going to have to give you stitches, so I need you to take—”

She was cut off by Chat’s claw-clad hand encasing hers as she finally got the lid free. She looked up at him, his eyes locking with hers with a crystalline sobriety that scared her. She felt her heart skip a beat as her hands were forced down into her lap and he smiled, shaking his head ever so slightly.

“I don’t want any painkillers.” He said in a low voice. God, how it sent chills up her spine. “I trust you, Marinette.”

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to comprehend what he had just said. He wanted her to give him stitches without painkillers because he _trusted her?_ Was the pain making him go insane?

“If you trust me,” she said slowly, her hands going back to work on the bottle and getting the pills out, “then take these so I know I’m not hurting you.”

That’s when the bottle was gently taken from her hands, clawed fingers slowly prying it from her grasp. She watched as Chat closed the bottle and tossed it back into the bag on her lap. She was getting frustrated now, and he wasn’t helping much.

“I don’t want any. If I took some I’d have to stay away from my house until they wore off, and that doesn’t work with my schedule. We can’t have a drunken Adrien stumbling home, now can we?”

She shook her head but knew he had a point. If he took the painkillers he wouldn’t be able to go home unless he wanted to be stumbling around disoriented for a few hours. She sighed and looked down at the string and needles at the bottom of the bag.

She looked back up at him and he nodded encouragingly to her. “You can do it. I trust you.”

  


Marinette never wants to do that again. The needles, and the blood, and the grunted teeth grinding coming from Chat didn’t help with her hands shaking. Yet she’d still gotten the job done and she’d regretted every second of it. The only thing that kept her going was the thought that she was helping her partner; helping Chat stay alive.

After the grueling task was done and she’d asked Chat to sit up (which had involved her basically crawling under him and performing a pushup to help him up), she’d wrapped him in bandages and now he was lying flat again, his chest encased in cloth. She tucked the end of the bandages beneath another section, grabbing out some tape to secure it.

She never wanted to do that again. Even Ladybug wouldn’t have been able to do that. And yet, she had. And she still had his arm to deal with, but that one seemed to be in much better condition than the one of his chest had been.

She moved slowly, decisively as she reached to take his hand in hers. He was charged right now, she could feel it, the power and energy running through his muscles. She had a feeling that he was about to break at any moment if anything went wrong. So as she took his hand and drew his arm towards her she did so slowly, with her touch feather soft as she started cleaning the cut with another wetted towel.

She was aware of him watching her. She was aware of the way his gaze burned into her and the way it traced every feature on her face. She was aware of the way his fingers tightened slightly around her knee for seemingly no reason as she set his hand down to grab the ointment and bandages. She was aware of the effort it took out of him to try and sit up a little farther, only to fall back onto her pillows.

She frowned at him and gently began to apply the last of the ointment and bandages. She’d have to get some more supplies soon; she knew how to get them, luckily. When she was finished she began putting materials away, even taking away the empty dipping bowl and glass. But as she bent to slide the bag across the floor towards her desk she felt his hand land on her back.

It made her jump and look back at him. She was absently aware of the beeping of his Miraculous, but her mind for some reason didn’t consciously register this as important as she sat back up and faced him. He was holding her hand now, his fingers having slid down her arm as she turned.

“What am I to you?” He asked softly as his claw traced a small circle on the back of her hand.

She was surprised by his question. “What?”

His eyes moved up from her hand and she could feel the heat in his gaze as his eyes locked with hers. “What am I to you, Marinette? Who am I? Am I Adrien from your class right now? Or am I just Chat Noir the superhero? Or am I both?”

She stared at him with a slack-jawed awe. She honestly didn’t know how to answer that. But Chat wasn’t waiting for an answer, he pulled her forward by her hand, pulling her almost on top of him. One of her hands came up to the back of the satte, resting on the woodwork as the other came to the armrest. Her face was only an inch from Chat’s and she could smell the peanut butter on his breath as he heaved the air from his lungs.

“Why is it that you can talk with me just fine, but when I’m Adrien you can never get a full sentence out? How come all of a sudden you were okay with Chat being let into your home and staying the night with you, but when you wake up with Adrien besides you you panic and try to run away? Am I that terrible of a person to you?”

It felt almost like he had punched her in the stomach, forcing the air from her lungs and the thoughts from her mind. She honestly didn’t have an answer for him, and yet her mind reeled. What was he to her now? Forever he would remain the young feline partner she so desperately needed, but what was Adrien to her? Was he still the boy in her class that she had a crush on or was he his two halves brought together?

She’d been trying, really, she had been, to act the same around both of his halves. But it was hard to just simply either force yourself to like someone whom you never considered before, or force yourself to stop liking someone you’d been in love with for years. So, she’d still had struggles, but she didn’t know it had bothered him that much.

He reached up, gently cupping her cheek in his gloved hand. Regardless of the leather, the contact set her nerves on fire. “Marinette, who am I?”

That’s when her mind seemed to pull the pieces together into one solid answer that she knew would satisfy the both of them.

“I don’t know how your two halves fit together quite yet,” she admitted slowly, “and I certainly don’t know how I’m going to keep things straight between the two and act the same around both of you—if that is what you want. But I can tell you one thing. You are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. A brilliant and reckless young man who is willing to give away his life for another in an instance. You are the one person in the world that I would want at my side if I were ever in danger, and you are the one person I will always look to for help from now on,”—she shrugged—”well, besides Alya, but that goes without saying.”

He was staring at her more deeply than before. Everywhere his gaze landed felt like it had suddenly caught fire, and she was slowly breaking apart into burning embers. But she still wasn’t finished.

“You, Chat Noir, are my hero and my feline knight in shining armor. And you, Adrien Agreste, are my inspiration and reason for loving everything so much.”

That’s what did it. He sat forward suddenly, his face coming up to hers, and their lips just barely brushing as their breaths mingled before his mouth moved from hers, trailing a hot line along her cheek to her jaw. It was an odd gesture, but she realized just what was going on as his lips dragged their way from the corner of her jaw to the front of her throat.

He was restraining himself. He wanted to kiss her, but he also wanted to save himself for Ladybug, or that was her guess. Either way, her eyes closed tight as his lips traced their way to her collarbone, his breath hot on her skin. The delicious shivers she was having to hide were almost too much for her. Then he rested his forehead on her throat and took a deep breath as his face turned into her shoulder.

“I really want to kiss you right now.” He muttered in a dejected voice. Had he always sounded so...broken? “But my heart is already promised to another.”

The physical restraint it took for her to not push him back against the armrest and kiss him was ridiculous and radiated through her with such a magnitude she was surprised that he didn’t react. Marinette had to bite her tongue hard to keep herself from shouting at the top of her lungs that she was Ladybug.

She needed to fall for all of him before any of this could happen. And he needed to find her on his own. But she wouldn’t hide anymore, or at least not as well as before. She wanted him to find her, and she knew an easy way that would give him an idea.

The power it took to pull away then, a sad but determined smile spreading across her, nearly took the rest of her energy. Especially when his transformation wore off and she was suddenly staring down at a topless, disheveled Adrien. Her cheeks erupted with color but she didn’t look away as she sat back, still wanting an actual kiss, not a whispered promise of one.

“I know it is.” She said softly. “And I don’t blame you. I just hope...I hope you get what you’re wanting soon.”

She stood with some effort, making sure that the folds of her dress fell slowly over her injured leg. She was aware of how his eyes painfully pried themselves away from her face to land on the disappearing bandages as her dress straightened. She saw his brows crease and knew he’d seen enough of it. Maybe now he’d be able to connect the dots.

“You’re hurt?” The something seemed to dawn on him and she thought maybe she had struck home until he said, “that food and water, that was to keep _your_ energy up, wasn’t it?”

She didn’t respond as she turned back to her room, picking up the tray and carrying it to her desk. She let herself limp a little and could feel the regret in Adrien’s gaze as he watched her. This is not what she wanted. She hadn’t wanted him to feel guilty. She’d wanted him to figure out how she got the injury and what that meant.

“I didn’t really need any, plus I can always just go get more.” She said finally, then added quickly. “You can rest here for a bit, take a nap if you’d like, but I want you to be home before six, okay? That way both of us can rest up and clean up. I also want for you to come back tomorrow so I can check up on how those are doing. Is-is that okay with you?”

She glanced back at him for only long enough to see him nod. Then she turned back and walked slowly to the door leading back into her home. She stopped at the door, her hand grasping the knob with a hesitant strength. She didn’t want to leave, nor did she want him to go either. But her heart felt like it was going to explode if she didn’t leave, and she wanted to give him time to think also.

She opened the door and slipped out just as she heard him calling to her. It was too late to go back in. She didn’t want him to see her like this; brought to shambles by the pain in her heart. He was still in love with Ladybug, and the answer was right in front of him, and yet he never seemed to see it. She wanted him to see it. Needed him to understand.

There was also the question of his true feelings bouncing around her insides, threatening to break free at any moment. If he really loved Ladybug, then why had he tried to kiss Marinette? And had he really meant to try and kiss her? Or had that been a simple impulse due to the circumstance and the pain? Or maybe it was him actually liking her and wanting to kiss her.

Either way, she was messed up over it and needed to know, but knew she wouldn’t get her answer from him anytime soon, not while he’s in this state. So, she moved across the hall to the bathroom and quickly entered, closing the door behind her with an audible click. She leaned against the cool wood and waited for the butterflies in her stomach and the spinning in her mind to calm just a little.

Tikki came flying up to her at that moment, her little face scrunched with confusion. “Are you okay, Marinette?”

Marinette looked up at her little kwami, her eyes and head moving lazily to address the companion. “Hmm?”

Tikki shook her head. “What happened?”

Marinette frowned and buried her face in her hands, sinking down to the floor. “He almost kissed me.”

She heard Tikki gasp but didn’t pull her hands away. “He did?”

Marinette nodded, her cheeks becoming alight with color. “But he stopped and said that he wanted to, but his heart was pledged to another.”

“To Ladybug.” Tikki pointed out. “Marinette that’s fantastic! That mean’s he’s starting to like both halves of you. Aren’t you happy.”

The teen sighed, her hands falling away from her face and plopping down into her lap. “I don’t know what I am anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I wanted to make this scene smuttier but I wasn't gonna do that lol.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat needs assistance with his injuries and goes to a tired Marinette for help. Unfortunately, the night had kept him away for too long.

Adrien’s fingers danced across the rough sandpaper-like surface beneath him, a slight warmth being reflected into his palm. He breathed in the smell of bread and chocolate and once again his stomach growled. His feet dangled off the edge of the roof, suspended in mid-air. His hair was ruffled by the slight breeze that blew through the night and he was grateful for thinking of bringing a jacket.

He sat on a roof opposite Marinette’s building, waiting patiently for his friend to give him some sort of sign that she was ready to see him. It had been a long afternoon, and the night seemed to be stretching longer as the seconds passed. He’d been in a photoshoot since he’d gotten out of school, and then he’d come to find Marinette already at dinner with her parents. He’d sworn he’d wait here until he saw the light in her room come on, the transform and pop over to tap on her window.

But she hadn’t gone into her room yet, or at least, hadn’t turned on her light when she entered. She’d wanted him to come and see her, and yet she didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned that he hadn’t shown himself yet. At the least he would have expected her to come to the window and look for him. Still, the room remained dark and utterly lifeless. It had been nearly two hours, he had no other choice at this point.

He transformed, jumping across a few roofs until he stood on her balcony, gazing down through her skylight. He couldn’t see into the room, let alone anything out of place or moving. He sighed and carefully hooked one of his claws under the hatch, pulling it up easily and slipping inside.

He landed soundlessly on her bed, his feet on either side of a lump in the middle. He closed the skylight and stooped to examine the lump beneath him. Without thinking, he reached out and touched the thing in question.

His hand shot back immediately, his face flushing a new shade of red as he realized he’d just almost landed on a sleeping Marinette. Well, used to be sleeping.

Before he knew what was happening the world was spinning and Chat was grabbed from his feet. He landed with a hollow thud on his back as an arm came down hard on his chest, and another came back. He gasped and coughed as the air was forced from his lungs at the sudden contact with his injury. He was surprised at how fast Marinette was, and how she’d reacted for just having woken up.

Then a blaring light came on and his eyes were set ablaze by the fluorescent bulb. He groaned and covered his eyes with a leather clad hand, wanting to spare at least one part of himself.

The gasp and squeaks that came after let him know that Marinette now realized what she was doing. Chat looked up at her, straddling him with her forearm pinning him to the ground. Her hair was messy and her eyes bloodshot. She still had the crease marks from her pillow on her face and it made him smile.

“That’s quite a welcome, Princess.” He whispered coolly.

The color her cheeks turned would have made a cherry jealous. “Chat-you-you-stupid cat!” She barked in a low voice and glared down at him.

He grinned and reached up, running his claws through her tangled curls. “I like seeing you with your hair down. Why do you always wear it up?”

She seemed shocked by his question, her muscles tensing against him. “I-I hate my curls. I don’t like the feeling of them in my face.”

His grin turned soft and warm. “I bet you would look fantastic.”

There was a pause and a silence that seemed to settle between them. As he looked up at her scarlet face he was reminded of the day before when he’d almost kissed her.

He hadn’t meant to, it had just...happened. He’d just been thinking about Marinette and how she is always so kind and caring even though she didn’t really favor him. And yet, in the moment, after she’d pulled away, he could feel the weakness in her. He could feel the strain in her as she’d leaned back, the shaking in her arms as she’d pushed off the backrest. It had made him want to pull her back to him and kiss her more than anything, and he didn’t know why.

Now, he had that same feeling. As his palm came to cup her cheek he was surprised by the sharp intake of breath it elicited from her. She leaned more into his palm the longer they looked at each other and he didn’t know why. Yes, she liked him, but it was Adrien she liked, not Chat. Why was she acting like this towards Chat?

“You really are trying, aren’t you?” He asked suddenly, the words escaping his lips before he knew they’d even formed.

“What?” She murmured, her brows coming together in that all too cute way.

He gently ran his thumb along the skin under her eye and smiled sweetly. “You’re trying to treat me the same as Adrien, aren’t you?” A slight nod. He grinned. “Well, you’re doing an amazing job, except for the fact that you are still on top of me.”

Marinette froze and the horrified expression that followed would stay with Chat for the rest of his life. He smiled as she nearly catapulted herself from him, landing on the floor with a small, short exhale. He laughed under his breath and sat up, running his claws through his hair to fix the disheveled mess it had become.

She glared at him. “What are you doing here, Chat?”

He stretched out his arms and looked at her inquisitively. Had she not asked for him to come back to get checked up on? Had she really forgotten by now?

“I’m here so that my saving grace may evaluate my wounds, princess.” He whispered with a wink.

Oh, the colors she could turn. They were all quite lovely, but he liked it best when the realization came and her cheeks went back to a normal hue. Her eyes glanced at his chest and he felt his heart stutter. He didn’t know why but he suddenly craved having her soft hands on him, gently reassuring that he was going to be okay. He was surprised when he felt a heat coming over his cheeks.

She nodded, almost to herself in a sort of secretive manner. “Okay, sit down here and I’ll go get the supplies. Take...take off your shirt.”

He smiled at the embarrassment that was so clear in her voice as she ran off. He sat up and climbed back up onto her bed, unzipping the jacket to his jumpsuit and taking it off carefully. Moving was still a pain but it was the pain he was going to have to deal with. He dropped it onto the floor without a second thought and stretched out along her mattress, reveling in the feeling of her soft sheets on his bare skin. As a joke, he purred deep in his throat, until he heard the gasp that broke his moment of happiness.

He opened his eyes to see Marinette standing at the top of her stairs, her gaze hot and wildly roaming the scene before her. He couldn’t stop the heat that erupted in his face as he realized what this must have looked like. He was stretched out on her bed, his hands tangled in her pillows above his head and his chest openly exposed. One of his ears had flopped down and his tail was dangling to the side. Her cheeks had reclaimed their color and he could only imagine what she was thinking.

He quickly propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes for some reason drifting to her tightening grip on the bag. _Think of something clever_ , he barked at himself, _come on, you’re supposed to be suave._

He grinned and flexed one of his arms, showing off his toned biceps. “You liking the view, princess?”

Marinette stared at him for a long pause, her mouth opening and closing like she was a fish out of water. As the moment stretched on longer Chat became increasingly nervous; this was getting to be a little much, even for him. Flirting with her, and almost kissing her, that had been dancing on the edge of a very thick line between being sly and leading a person on. He’d always told himself that he wouldn’t cross the line; he’d step on it, dance along it, but never cross it.

Coming here like this was him leaping over the line.

He sat up abruptly, grabbing his shirt and beginning to slip it back on. “I’m sorry, that was-beyond inappropriate of me. I’ll...I’ll excuse myself.”

He stood, just about to slip on his shirt when he felt her hand wrap around his shoulder in a surprisingly confident grasp. He glanced at her over his shoulder and something in his chest jumped.

Her eyes were so hot and alive in that moment that he swore she had never truly lived before then. Her face was slack with something he didn’t recognize and her lips were ever so slightly parted with her small panting breaths. The lighting from her lamp cast a shadow across the left side of her face, making her that much more mysterious and almost...attractive.

He turned back to her. “Yes, princess?” But the joking was gone from his voice, replaced by something much smoother, warmer.

She stared at him, her eyes flicking around his face before her voice came slipping out. “I want to see the real you.” She whispered, almost like a secret that only she was to know.

Oh, man. Why was her voice so sweet to his ears? Why did he want her to say that again, to whisper his name in that same beautifully intimate way?

He didn’t hesitate in releasing his transformation, seeing the green light peel away and his kwami coming popping out of his silver ring. He felt his hair fall freely in his face as she stared up at him, scanning his features with feverish eyes and a renewed vigor.

She hummed and nodded to herself. “I want to work on talking to _you_ , not the cat.”

He was surprised, never before had she taken the initiative to actually talk to Adrien before, at least not in this manner; one on one. He smiled and brushed some of her curls away from her face, his finger gently skimming the top of her ear as he brushed it back.

“So, what do you want me to do now?” He asked under his breath, his voice coming out a little huskier than he wanted.

Marinette—with the same shaking weakness as before—turned her face away from his hand and nodded towards her bed. “Lay down, I need to check those cuts.”

He complied, but after a momentary touch of her cheek. He wanted to feel her, and wanted her to feel him. So when he saw the slight shiver it caused her, his heart seemed to skip a beat.  
He laid down, once again discarding his jacket and propping himself up on her pillows. He felt so exposed and without Chat’s confidence or wit he wasn’t able to come up with any jokes about the situation. So, he stayed silent as Marinette stopped and started unwinding the cloth from his chest, carefully running her fingers along to make sure his skin wasn’t too sensitive.

When the cut was exposed and the stitches were gently touched he couldn’t stop himself from reacting. His hand shot out and clasped hers around the wrist. There was a sharp intake of breath, but not on her side, but his. He glanced up at her and saw the surprise in her eyes but also saw the understanding. She knew that he was in pain and that he didn’t want anyone going near his injury, but he trusted her, and it still shocked him that he had retaliated.

He let go of her slowly, muttering an apology under his breath. She offered him a soft smile and murmured, “I understand.”

He let her clean the outside of the stitches and replace the cloths and bandages, her fingers never going beyond a chaste pressure. He couldn’t pry his eyes from her as long as she worked. At one point he stopped feeling everything in his chest because there was nothing left to him that was important. Suddenly everything was about Marinette, the world and cosmos revolving around only her and the feeling of her caring and steady fingers gliding over him.

When she moved closer to work on the cut on his arm he couldn’t stop himself. He let her take his hand and she glanced at him cautiously, even though there was no need. She could have done anything to him in that moment and he probably would have let her. She gently set his forearm across her folded knees, his hand gently resting on one of them. Then she started working on the bandages, trying to get them free.

As soon as they came free it seemed like a restraint within him was also released. His hands came up suddenly, gently cupping her jaw as she jolted from shock. He sat up, bringing them to the same level, staring into her eyes and looking for the answer he needed. She was too shocked, or confused, or scared to give him the answer with a simple look, so he’d have to ask.

“Marinette?”

She swallowed, sidling away from the edge of running. “Yes?”

“Would you hate me if I were to kiss you?” He asked, the words pouring from in like a torrent long held back by a dam.

She blinked, her mouth opening then closing. He felt desperate, watching her mouth move and the way her supple lips matched perfectly with her words. Then finally, she seemed to agree, not in words but in the way that she slid ever so slightly forward, her eyes drifting from his jaw to his eyes and back again. She had answered his question even before he moved.

His lips slanted against hers, fitting perfectly, almost like they had been designed to go together. He pulled her forward, closer, very slowly to make sure she wasn’t scared off by his guidance. She replied with soft, beautifully delicious movements that left his breathless. He wanted to give more, and the more he gave, moved, breathed her in, the more she gave. It was amazing, everything being warm and soft and slow motions that left them both panting when she finally pulled away for breath.

But he wasn’t done with her yet, and this must have been the Chat part of his mind working as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the corner of hers, then to the part of her throat in which her pulse beat. She melted under his touch as he brought his other hand up, gently holding the other side of her neck for support.

He felt the intake of breath shake her throat below his lips and he couldn’t help the grin that split his face as he moved back to ravish her mouth. He was surprised when her hands came up, taking his from around her neck and moving them to her waist, gently wrapping them around herself. Then she wrapped her own arms around his neck, moving closer and tangling her fingers in his hair.

It was almost too much for him; the feeling of her hands in his hair, her soft mouth against his, the small gasps spreading out across his face and warming his cheeks. He couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his hands closer around her, pulling her almost onto his lap. His fingers laced together at the small of her back and he could feel the almost vibrating shakes that ran through her.

The soft gasp that was produced made him smile and gently kiss her again before pulling away for good. They were both breathless and slightly flushed as they looked into each other eyes.

“What time do you usually get up?” She asked suddenly, as if the words had trampled her lips and made their own path from her throat.

Adrien started at the question but replied, “Seven o’clock. Why?”

Marinette blushed and covered her face with a hand as she turned to stare at her wall, too embarrassed to look at him. “Well, you already woke me up and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to go back to sleep again after this; and I already get up at six thirty to get ready; so I was wondering—if maybe you would…”

She trailed off, biting her lower lip. Adrien loved the way her teeth imprinted the soft skin. He wanted to kiss her again, to hold her and run his hands through her hair. He wanted to help her out, help her through the embarrassment.

“Would you like to check my injuries in the morning?” He asked, hoping it would help her along to the question he already knew she was asking.

She nodded. “Yeah, but since you wake up so late, maybe it’d be easiest for you to just stay here for the night? If-if that’s convenient for you. I mean, I don’t want to be a hinderance to you in any way, and now thinking about it this was stupi—”

He cut her off with a kiss, chastely pressed to the corner of her mouth. She was silenced and in shock as he pulled away, smiling gently. “I’d love to, Marinette.”

It seemed to take her forever to process that, but when it hit, the smile that spread across her face, was the most perfect moment ever. She nodded. “Alright, you can sleep up here, but no funny business, okay?”

He nodded, laying down and holding up his arm. “Can you take care of this first.”

She looked down at his arm like he had suddenly offered her a dancing fish. Apparently, she’d been so absorbed in the moment that she’d forgotten all about her original task. After a moment she nodded, beginning to work on the injury and making quick work of her task.

Then came the interesting part. Adrien had gotten used to laying on her bed, but as he slipped on his shirt and moved to climb under the blankets he felt like he was trespassing, moving into an alien territory that he had no right to be in. And Marinette had the same hesitation on her face. Then something occurred to him. He reached up and grabbed some pillows from near her night stand and from up by her headboard, placing them in a line trailing down the center of the bed.

Marinette looked at him skeptically. “What are you doing?”

He smiled up at her and threw the blanket on his half back, sliding underneath with less guilt constricting his chest. “This is our pillow wall. We are not to cross it for any reason. If I do in any way you can kick me out immediately. If you cross the wall, I’ll go down and sleep on that couch thing you have. Agreed?”

She seemed to contemplate this for a moment before she allowed a slight smile to tug at the corners of her lips. “Alright, yeah, that’s actually pretty brilliant.”

He smiled and nodded, turning to face her as she laid down. “Why thank you.”

Then they went quiet as the light was turned off and they were plunged into the merciful darkness of the night. The darkness that would conceal the unexpected boy sleeping in a girl from his class’s bed. The dark that would hide the soft kiss he left on her cheek before gently intertwining his fingers in hers and he rested back into the cushion of her mattress. The darkness that would mask the girl and the superhero teen as they both slipped into the hands of slumber.

The darkness that would shroud the two small friends seeing each other for the first time in many years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More will be coming I promise. Sorry. _~~Am I sorry that I made my friend fan-girl in front of me with this scene? No. Am I happy I finally got it out? Yes.~~ Enjoy friends. More to come._


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wakes to a surprise, and her kwami struggles with the knowledge of what really happened the night before.

_“It’s good to see you again.” Said the small cat, his whiskers twitching slightly as he hugged his old friend._

_The little ladybug girl smiled, her tiny arms wrapping more closely around him. “It’s been too long, old friend.”_

_They separated, holding each other at arm’s length and studying the other. “I swear you don’t look a day over two thousand.” Purred Plagg._

_Tikki smiled, a slightly mischievous twinkle in it. “And you still have all of your whiskers, old man.”_

_They laughed quietly at their small jokes and sat down gently on the cushion of Marinette’s desk chair. They were across from one another, their feet stretched out before them, just barely touching. It was nice to see him again, Tikki had to admit. It had been around fifty years since they had last met face to face, their last wielders never having the opportunity or drive to reveal their identities._

_It had been a gamble coming out of the closet and showing herself for the first time. She’d waited long enough for the teens to have surely fallen asleep, and yet she’s been cautious as she’d slowly peeked over the edge of the platform that held Marinette’s bed. That’s when she’d noticed Plagg, floating protectively above the two teens, keeping watch. She’d waved him over, and he hadn’t hesitated in coming with her._

_“So, last time I saw you, you were clinging to a young Chinese girl by the name of Yaoyi. How did things with her work out?” Plagg asked, tapping his small feet to hers in a little pattern._

_She followed his style and smiled. “She’s got some grandkids now and loves telling them about our adventures. Turns out she went to college and went into studying the ancient arts.”_

_Plagg smirked. “You always do love the artistic ones, don’t you?”_

_She nodded. “And you’ve always liked the broken ones.”_

_Plagg frowned. “What do you mean?”_

_Tikki looked up at him. “If I recall correctly Haru was an orphan, right? His parents dying in a car wreck. You helped him get adopted, remember?”_

_Plagg nodded, his expression unreadable. “Yeah, he’s doing fine now. He got married to a nice young girl and had—I think—three kids.”_

_Tikki nodded, then glanced up at the mattress as one of the kids shifted. No one seemed awake, just a deep sleep toss or turn. She sighed, the sound so small and cute. “How’s this one working out? I do believe this is our first pairing in a few centuries that have been in love.”_

_Plagg nodded again, keeping his eyes glued to the rhythmic task of tapping their feet. “He blames me for what happened to his mother, and rather I’d not be in his life. But that’s as expected. He’s quite taken by Marinette, you know? Even without knowing she’s Ladybug.”_

_Tikki smiled. “Good, because I think she likes both sides of him. Chat has taken some time, but she’s getting there.”_

_A comfortable silence fell between them and they simply enjoyed the company that the other provided. It was nice to see him again, even if it was only for a little while. But there was still something sitting with them in the dark and silence. An unspoken question and the answer._

_“You won’t tell him, will you?”_

_Plagg looked up. “Not unless he asks. I won’t lie to him, you know.”_

_She nodded. “Understandable. Thank you, Plagg, for talking tonight.”_

_He nodded. “Thanks for finally coming out.”_

_She nodded and continued the rhythm of their feet. The darkness and silence wrapped around them, hiding them from their sleeping wielders. They were finally able to see each other once again, and they reveled in it, wishing for it to last longer. But alas, like all good thing, the night came to an end when the blond woke and called for his kwami._

  


Marinette didn’t know what surprised her most, the fact that Adrien was gone by the time she had woken up, or the fact that he hadn’t said goodbye or at least left a note. As she sluggishly moved her arm along the pillow wall that he had so masterfully built she was shocked to find his hand missing, the fabric beneath her palm amazingly cold.

Her brows creased as her hand searched more feverishly and her eyes opened onto the truth that was the empty half of her bed. She sat up suddenly, searching her room with feverish eyes. _Maybe he went down to the satte?_ She wondered and nearly leaped from her bed, throwing the blanket back over the disheveled pillow wall.

She ran down the steps but froze halfway, her feet almost sliding out from beneath her as she clung to the railing in a sudden, screeching halt. Her eyes scanned the room frantically for the young man that she had fallen asleep with not but a few hours ago, but no sign of him was to be found.

That’s when she found the open window, her curtains like lungs breathing in their share of the fresh morning air. She walked over and looked out, the just peaking morning light gentle on her tired eyes. She felt something in her chest move then, and she didn’t quite like it. 

He was gone?

It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t have been real.

She thought that he might have left her a note, but as she hunted with the quick panic of a needing teen she felt the same thing in her chest begin to stutter, feeling it was giving up. She felt weak in her knees as the realization hit and she sunk slowly to the ground with tears pricking her eyes. 

He’d left, and he hadn’t even said goodbye.

“Marinette.” She heard it from over her shoulder, but it wasn’t the voice she so desperately needed to hear.

She looked back at Tikki, rubbing at her eyes with a sleeved hand. “What is it?”

The kwami flinched at her words and Marinette faintly realized just how broken and bitter her voice sounded. “Are you alright?”

Marinette let out a searing laugh under her breath and looked back to the fingers that were slowly curling in her lap. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that the guy of my dreams came into my room last night, finally, _finally_ kissed me, then left in the middle of the night even though he said he would stay and didn’t say a single word towards me. He didn’t even leave a note. I mean, who does that kind of a thing. I feel—I feel like I was used. Like I am just some counterpart for Ladybug that he can just come onto then leave without a second thought. I mean, he claims to only have love for her, and yet he does this kind of a thing. What am I supposed to think, Tikki? What does this mean? Does he like me? The _real me?_ Or am I just the next best thing until he finally gets Ladybug?”

She pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes, shaking and jerky breaths escaping her lips as she sat crying on her floor. She could feel the sobs that wracked her small frame as Tikki wrapped her small arms around Marinette’s shoulder. She knew she was being stupid in all of this, of course, he didn’t like her, it had all just been in the moment. And yet she couldn’t stop the tears that were soaking her palms. She couldn’t stop the moisture that ran into her hair and she couldn’t stop the heartbreaking thoughts of how he had betrayed her from coming.

She curled up on the floor and kept crying. She wanted this too, she’d known it from the moment that he had shown up on her roof. She’d known that he would never be hers, that she would never truly deserve his love and compassion. She may be Ladybug, but she wasn’t any kind of Ladybug that he wanted. He only wanted the real thing, not her counterpart.

Before she knew it she had drifted off into a fluid state of sleep that was broken apart by the harsh, incessant beeping of her alarm. She got up, turning it off out of habit and moving to the bathroom to take her morning shower. She let the hot water run over her skin, but no matter what temperature it was, she didn’t seem to feel it. She was numb to everything. Even when she had to clean out her wound and replace the bandages, she felt nothing.

After blow drying and putting up her hair she starred in the mirror and to her little companion sitting on the towel rack across the room. Her eyes were still red and puffy and so were the apples of her cheeks. She wondered if she should try and wear some of her mom’s makeup to cover it up, but it seemed like it would only make things worse; hiding behind yet another mask.

“I want to tell him, Tikki.” She whispered in a husky, tear weighed voice that came from low in her chest. “I want to tell him so badly it hurts me.”

Her kwami sighed, flying over to gently pat her shoulder. “I know you do, Marinette.”

Then the girl fell into silence, her mind racing as she went through her own thoughts, looking for the option she knew was crazy, but it was the only one left. She sighed and nodded reassuringly to reflection. “I’m just going to have to ask him, or maybe tell him.”

TIkki started, her small hand jerking away from the teen’s shoulder. “What?”

Marinette turned to her then, her face filled with such resolve that it shocked Tikki. “I’m going to tell him how I feel, and ask him if he feels the same.”

TIkki stared at the teen for a long moment. She looked so determined and certain that it was almost frightening. After seeing her break down into a crying heap it was utterly surprising to find her eyes so electrically sharp. Still, she nodded and smiled stiffly. She wanted Marinette to be happy after all.

“Alright, go for it.” Her smiled turned genuine. “I bet you’ll get an answer you’ll like”.

Marinette smiled confidently and turned to leave the bathroom, wrapping herself in a fluffy bathrobe. After the teen had disappeared back up the ladder to her room Tikki allowed herself a sigh of relief. Never before had Marinette been so close to finally having Adrien, and now he’d gone and done something this stupid. It just baffled her how silly people could be.

The kwami sighed and followed the black haired teen, mournful of the fact that she couldn’t tell her friend the real reason he left, the real reason he didn’t leave a note. Isn’t it ironic that the reason he left is the same as why she was so livid with him?

  


_“Plagg?” They heard from the platform above._

_The little cat sighed and leaned forward to leave a chaste kiss on Tikki’s cheek, whispering softly, “Please, don’t tell Marinette anything you’re about to hear.”_

_Tikki nodded and flew back into Marinette’s purse as Adrien came down the stairs. She could hear the soft patter of his feet on the carpeted steps and his harshly quickened breathing. “We need to leave. Where are you, Plagg?”_

_The kwami cat flew up, startling his wielder. “Why do we have to leave? Did something happen?”_

_Adrien shook his head, not looking all that good. His hair was torn up in a torrent of tangling golden waves, now washed white by the moonlight. His eyes were lost in some crazed vision of the surroundings as he ran a hand through his hair and gazed about the room. His breathing was coming in some short and rapid gasps, and Tikki didn’t understand why he was in this state._

_“This was all a mistake, Plagg.” He said in a huskily deep voice. “This was all one big mistake. She knows that I like Ladybug. Hell, she might even know I’m in love with her, but Marinette doesn’t know. To her, I probably seem like I’m just using her as some Lady replacement, or even just a random fling. I don’t want her thinking I’m a terrible flirt and it just so happened to be her that I ended up with after—”_

_His voice cracked and he let out a small cough that caused Marinette to stir somewhere above them. He jolted, shrinking further away from the sleeping girl, keeping his eyes glued to the general location of her. His chest was rising and falling rapidly and Tikki could see the sweat beads that were forming at his temples._

He’s having a panic attack, _she realized with a start._

_His eyes flashed wildly to his kwami then back towards their host. “We are leaving, now. I need to get out of here, get some air. She can’t find out, and I don’t know if I can handle all of this right now.”_

_Plagg flew to interrupt the young man, obscuring his view of Marinette’s sleeping cove. “Don’t you think you’re being a little irrational? What do you think she’s going to do if she wakes up and you’re gone? You said you were going to stay.”_

_Adrien’s eyes were glinting with the same fevered panic as before, but his body was beginning to utterly vibrate with the same energy. “I know what I said. But that was then and this is now. She’ll understand, she’s amazing like that. She’ll think I had to go home because someone was bound to notice, then I can explain to her at school why I left. It’s just that...right now this is all too much for me. I need to get out of here.”_

_He started towards one of her windows, starting to open it before his kwami flew to stop him once again. He needed one final answer, Tikki knew. Plagg was never satisfied without getting a real direct answer._

_“Why are you so desperate to leave, Adrien?” He asked. “What’s making you want to go so badly?”_

_The teen froze, his shoulders tensing to the point that Tikki swore they would crack and break apart if she tapped them. She could hear and see it as his fingernails dug into the window frame and drug lines into it as his hands slid along the wood. Everything was silent as they waited, the two kwamis, for his response. The silence was almost like a third person in their conversation, standing between both Tikki and the answer, and apparently Plagg could feel the same thing because the little cat shifted, scratching his ear._

_Then the long, almost torn out sigh and his shoulders and head slumping forward. He looked so defeated that she wanted nothing more than to go and comfort the young man, but she knew that would have been a bad idea._

_“I want to leave because I can’t bare the thought of how she’s going to look at me tomorrow. I can’t stand the thought of the way her eyes are going to scrutinize me for treating her like this. I just…”_

_He trailed off and took a deep breath, but Tikki could tell that it wasn’t the whole story, there was still more to come. She waited, as did his little cat companion, who was still floating just above his head._

_“I don’t even want to think about the look she’d have after she’d see me. After she’d realize just how much I care for her.” He whispered after a minute. “I don’t want to know how she’d react to finding out that I think—I think I may love her.”_

_Tikki heard the sharp intake of breath on Plagg’s part and saw the small cat’s glowing eyes shot up to her, locking with hers. They had a conversation then, discussing what could and could not be revealed to their wielders. It was easy to communicate with simple looks and gestures after so many years of working together._

_After a minute the little cat nodded, his eyes drifting back down the to broken boy below him. “Alright, we’ll leave. But you have to promise to talk to her about everything tomorrow.”_

_Adrien looked up at the kwami and even without seeing his expression Tikki could see the relief in him, and the desperation. “Thank you, Plagg. I promise I’ll talk with her. I’ll even invite her to something, something beyond the funeral. Or maybe I won’t, I don’t know. I just need to get out of here so I can think.”_

_Plagg nodded once again, this time to Tikki as a goodbye before transforming the young teen into his superhero counterpart. Chat Noir leaped from the window and into the night air easily and Tikki was left staring at the space he had just been in._

Oh, my god, _she thought,_ he loves Marinette. He actually loves her.

_She bit her lower lip._ It’s a shame things are going to be hard on the two of them tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry if this part isn’t as good. ~~I have noticed the decrease in the size of the chapters and I’m sorry and or happy about that but it might be changing soon. The next few after chapter 7 are going to be a bit longer so I’m sorry in advance for that. Also, I have a headcanon that Marinette’s room has both a door and the ladder leading to it. So, yeah, I’m writing that in.~~


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is kept from Marinette and trouble brews. How will it affect the two?

“Three days?!” Adrien nearly screamed as he stepped out of the limo.

When Nathalie had come to collect him that morning, waking him earlier than usual, he hadn’t given it a second thought. He’d gotten enough sleep to understand that he had to go to a photoshoot and had to leave early—it wasn’t that uncommon of a thing. When he’d found a suitcase already packed in the trunk for him as he’d thrown his bookbag down he’d wondered at luggage, but hadn’t found it odd enough to comment on.

Then they had passed the normal modeling studio and turned on the road to the airport. That’s when he’d become suspicious of this being more than a normal trip. Then Nathalie had told him the truth he had come to try and deny as they’d arrived at the airport.

“Why are we going to be gone for three days? Where are we going? What could possibly be that important?”

His mind was racing. How would he get all of his school work done when he got back? How would he get the school work in the first place? What was this about? Was his father coming? What about the funeral? It was tomorrow!

But his mind mainly went to Marinette. How was he supposed to talk to her? He needed to explain things and talk to her about what happened last night. He couldn’t even imagine what she’d think if he didn’t say a single word to her for three whole days.

Nathalie was silent as they approached the plane, offering no explanation. He asked again, still no response. Then he stepped into the cabin and was made aware of the presence already reclining in one of the luxury leather seats. It was a private jet, of course, Gabriel wouldn’t have it any other way.

His father’s platinum blond hair shone from his seat and his silver eyes were already locked onto his son. The golden boy approached cautiously, and yet also with a sort of nervous energy about him that couldn’t be ignored. “Father, what is this about? Where are we going?”

His father nodded towards a seat on the other side of the plane from him, conveniently next to an already opened and turned on laptop, similar to the one in his own lap. “Take a seat Adrien. We are departing in a few minutes.”

Adrien didn’t move. “Where are we going?”

Gabriel looked back at the young man, slight annoyance flashing in his eyes as he sighed. “We are going to Tokyo. There are some fashion designers there that wish to invest in our line of clothing, on one condition, you model for them. So, we leave this morning, arrive around five o’clock tonight, find a hotel and spend the night. Tomorrow will be preparation for the event, and then the next day will be the fashion show itself. We will leave Tokyo around two o’clock and arrive at home around midnight, the sky’s being permitting.”

Adrien stared at his father, never before had he gotten such a direct answer from the man. “But, what about the shoot at mother’s funeral tomorrow?”

He knew he couldn’t ask just about the funeral. His father wouldn’t have cared unless business was brought up.

Gabriel had seemed to have lost interest in the conversation, turning his gaze back to the blazing screen in his lap. “The shoot has been postponed for few days and will be held on Tuesday night instead. Apparently, Gustav wishes to work in the moon and starlight, he said it would bring out the drama of the event. Either way it will take place then. And as for your school work I already have all of it on that device, and you are to work on it on the plane rides. If you don’t finish you will be working on it between sessions with the stylists and choreographers. Is this understood?” His eyes shot back to his son, their focus burning through the teens soul. 

Adrien swallowed and nodded, resigning himself to the fate that was his carreer. “Good,” said his father shortly, “now sit. We leave in two minutes.”

Adrien walked to the recliner numbly, picking up the laptop that sat in his place with unfeeling fingers. It was easy for him to accept at this point that his father didn’t care much for him. To Gabriel he was simply a smart investment and something he had to keep around for another year or so. But his mother? Gabriel had loved his mother and the fact that he’d seemed so...easy when he’d talked about her funeral...it disturbed Adrien on some level.

But that wasn’t the main thing that was bugging him. It was still too early in the morning for him to call her, but he knew he had to talk to Marinette. He had to explain things to her, possibly ask her to the small event he was planning. Either way, he needed to talk to her, and now he might not get the chance to do so for another three days.

What was she going to think if she didn’t hear from him? Was she going to think that he had just meant to kiss her and never talk to her again? That she was just another one of his many flirts that Chat Noir and Adrien both apparently have? He couldn’t bare to think of how she might react to not a single word, and yet that was all he could think about.

Well, that and one other thing.

“Father?” He said just as the plane started on its trail down the runway. “Can I ask a favor of you?”

  


Adrien couldn’t believe the level of focus and coordination that went into prepping for the show. From the minute he arrived at the set until the second he left he was expected to act perfectly, walk perfectly, stay still while having makeup applied, and not move while his outfits were sized. He wasn’t to talk unless spoken to, not to move unless told to move, and not to take a break unless allowed to do so.

The laser focus of the models and the choreographers was almost terrifying. At home he was allowed some leeway, his crew knowing that he is, after all, still a teen. But these people were different; strictly business and no time to even huff in annoyance at their lack of flexibility. In the end, when it finally came down to it, he was happy for the forced amount of work. It kept his mind away from the daunting thoughts of Marinette and his mother.

The first day was easier than the second. But he still hadn’t had a moment to himself the entire time they were there. The second day was utterly terrible. He hadn’t been allowed a moment to even breathe without being told that he was doing it wrong. He was almost to his point of snapping and yelling at someone when his father had told him that he’d better cooperate and not make a fool of himself but he had somehow held out for another hour.

Finally, he was allowed a lunch break. He was allotted an hour and a half—which to him was an outrageous amount of time but he guessed he’d earned it—to eat and prepare himself for the rest of the day. He wasn’t, however, allowed to stay in the fashion show outfit—he’d figured as much—or take off the makeup which the crew had spent hours perfectly sculpting—that was different for him.

He sat down in the booth of the noodle house and breathed out a sigh of relief. It was the first time he’d been able to really sit down all day, and he’d been working since seven in the morning, it was now noon. He was already tired, and he had to rely on his general optimism to make sure that he didn’t complain about anything. At least Nathalie’s familiar face across the booth from him was a little bit of a reassurance.

He ordered something that he had never heard of before but wished to try and pulled out his phone. There was always one more thing that would bring him comfort. Alya, Marinette’s best friend, had recently updated her LadyBlog again, forever continuing in her quest to figure out who the heroin is.

He plugged in his earbuds and watched the blog video, reveling in the familiarity of the Parisian background.

Alya stood in a—what looked like—library, a grand window at her back showing out onto the street below. It was around eight in the morning there, and the lazy sunlight was casting odd colors through the thick glass. She wasn’t alone in the room, in fact a few people tried at elbowing her out of the way in an futile attempt to get to the window. She didn’t, however, let her perfect vantage point go and hissed out slurs at a few people before they backed away.

“I bring you today,” she was saying as she had to elbow another person out of the way, “a first time story to hit the media. Below me another villain has arrived and of course the dazzling Ladybug is busy saving the day, but there’s a twist.”

Adrien felt his blood run cold in his veins. He looked down at the date of the video in hopes that this video wasn’t recent. It was posted only a few minutes ago, and already it had over a million views. This couldn’t be happening.

“You heard me right,” Alya continued on and turned the camera down onto the square below her, “Ladybug is fighting alone today. That’s right you Noir fans, our lovable feline is nowhere to be seen.”

Then Alya’s voice faded into the shouts in surprise as the battle took a twist that no one seemed to fully grasp.

The two woman caught in a tangle below parted and Adrien could make out the intensity on Ladybug’s face, knowing all too well just how desperate she must have been without him there at her side. He watched her for a moment longer as she breathed heavily before his eyes slid sideways to her opponent.

The akumized you woman was tall, monstrously so, with long slender legs and short white hair that ended at her jaw. Her eyes flashed a light blue color as her hand came up to scrape some spit from her grinning face. Her skin was a ghostly white shade and her outfit was almost the exact opposite. She stood in a pair of dark blue pants and a bright green top. The source of her height was mainly from the foot tall heels she stood in—which Adrien guessed were the sources of her power..

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could just barely make out the words from her lips. She was saying something about Ladybug’s kitty being a scaredy cat. Then she was laughing as she raised one her feet up high. Adrien saw the fear that crossed Lady’s face, and saw the pure terror bloom as the villain kicked out her foot, shooting a razor sharp heal towards Lady, another growing to replace it as she set her leg back down.

That’s when the shout spawned in the crowd. But it was a shout of joy since to everyone that didn’t know better would only have seen Lady dodging a heal and coming away uninjured, but Adrien knew her better than anyone. He saw the way after she had moved her face crinkled with pain. He registered the chunk of spandex the heal took with it as it flew by, but the blood blended in with her outfit before anyone could see her bare skin. He saw the way her arm seemed to go momentarily limp. She apparently heard the shouts and looked up, directly at the camera, if only for a split second.

He felt the sharp intake of breath that ran through his own throat as he saw her face. Something in his chest stuttered as he saw the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. He saw the redness of her eyes and the utter abandonment in the slight part of her lips. He saw her desperation for him to come and to help, or at least to see this. Even in the second she looked her eyes seemed to lock onto solely him, pleading and begging him to help.

He reached out and paused the video then, gently caressing her cheek with the tip of his finger. He felt a hot lump forming in his throat as he looked at that betrayed fire in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to be there with her, holding her or helping her or even cracking one of his many terrible puns. And yet, here he was sitting in the booth of a noodle shop in Tokyo with a ridiculous amount of makeup on his face and a dish he’d never heard of sitting before him.

He fast forwarded through the rest of the video, glad to see her defeat the young woman. He recognized the villain when her Akuma was released as being one of his father’s models that had been fired the night before for some misconduct. Still, he saw the way that Ladybug leaped into the air with a hopeless manner tightening and weakening her muscles as she swung away.

He didn’t pay attention to the ending of the video when Alya came back for more commentary. He was too preoccupied with the idea of Lady being hurt. He wanted to get back to her, he needed to go and talk to her and explain, but he was stuck here until the end of the show.

_Please,_ he begged internally, _please let the show go well and end soon. I need to get back to Paris._

  


The rest of the day went by in a numbed blur and the show went by as a distracted obstacle. He tried to guide himself out of as many conversations as possible after the show but some were unavoidable. His father was kind enough to let them leave early after his meeting with the investors was over.

With luck the plane ride back now would get them in around eleven o’clock, the skies looked permitting enough.

He prayed for once to have good luck. He’d left Plagg at home, he hoped that would help.

  


As soon as he was done with his scheduling meeting with Nathalie and was told to go back to his room he sought out the little cat kwami that sat in his closet, a small slice of cheese next to him.

“It’s about time you got home,” Plagg complained and floated up, the small morsel in his paws. “I nearly starved!”

Adrien paid no time to the exaggerated remark and dropped his bag, thrusting out his fist. “I don’t have time for this, Plagg. I need to go see Marinette, and with some luck Ladybug.”

Plugg sighed and scarfed down the rest of his cheese before he transformed the blond into his superhero counterpart.

Chat’s heart was pounding too hard while he ran across the rooftops of Paris. He couldn’t get the thought of Ladybug injured and hating him out of his mind. And he couldn’t even bring himself to think of how Marinette was going to look when he arrived at her home at almost one in the morning after not speaking to her for three days.

As he ran he was aware of the presence following him, but he didn’t care enough to slow as he zigzagged across the Parisian rooftops.

Then he felt the string swing around his ankles, tying them together just as he was about to leap to another roof. He was suddenly pulled from the air, his feet going out from under him and his momentum halted. He was sent tumbling downward into the dark alley below him, landing hard on one of his arms as he attempted to catch himself.

He grunted in pain as his arm went momentarily limp from the impact and looked up to see a dark figure still perched on the roof above. They leaped down after a moment and he noticed and recognized the body language almost immediately. But she looked so differently it was hard to recognize her, even as he stood to face her.

Her face and hair was virtually the same, which was odd for an akumized victim, but her outfit had changed. Her red and black spotted spandex suit had swapped in its color scheme. The initial color was now a deep black with red pots, her throat being encircled in a crimson collar. Even her mask had changed colors. Her eyes were filled with a manicism that frightened him. It was a look that fell somewhere between insanity and pure brilliance.

He studied her, looking for something that could be the source of this power as he spoke to her. “My lady,” he gasped out in surprise, “what’s the matter?”

The grin that spread across her face was sharp and cutting, almost as much so as her voice. “‘What’s the matter’ really, kitty? You can’t tell what’s upsetting me?”

Chat swallowed and slowly reached behind him, grasping the baton that rested on his hips. “Ladybug,” he said slowly, choosing his words carefully, “I can explain.”

She scoffed. “No need to. I know where you were. You were off flirting with and crushing the heart of our little friend. What was her name again... _Marinette?_ ”

The way his hand tightened suddenly around his baton surprised even him. She’d spat out the other girl’s name like it had been poisoned and for some reason it made his heart stutter. “How did you—”

“Don’t even ask.” She hissed and slowly started walking around him, her yo-yo spinning in a slow circle next to her side. “I have my connections. I also know that the only reason you’ve ever pretended to even like me is because you wanted me to get rid of that stupid ring of yours. Isn’t that right?”

He couldn’t bare to meet her icy eyes as he slowly dropped his hands to his sides, his baton resting like a weight in his right palm. “So, she told you?”

Ladybug waved off the remark like it was an annoying fly. “That idiotic girl has told me nothing. I figured it out on my own a while ago.”

She slowly walked up to him, her finger coming up to lift his chin. He opened his eyes after a moment, staring down at her as her gaze seared into his. “So, how does it feel? Knowing that your little scheme is out?”

He didn’t try to act surprised, but he did let his confusion spread across his features. “What scheme?”

Ladybug scoffed and flicked her finger away from his face, nicking his chin. “Your little flirting style. You find a defenseless little girl who you know you can pray on. You use her for a while then you never talk to her again.” She paused for a moment and he could feel the hatred being emitted from her. “Same as me. For all of these years, through all of these battles all you’ve ever done is use me. You just wanted me to get rid of your bad luck.”

She glanced over her shoulder, a sour smile cracking the corner of her mouth. “So sorry about that mother of yours.”

When Adrien was young he had vowed never to raise his hand in anger towards another person. He vowed never to strike another person out of rage, no matter how much they made him want to. He thought at first that it had been the reason why his mother had left. Maybe his father had abused her? So he’d drilled it into his calm and gentle nature. But, standing there and hearing that simple line from Ladybug made him forget all those years of internalizing everything.

He felt something in him snap, and suddenly he wasn’t Adrien or Chat anymore, but a feral animal fueled by pure rage.

He charged at her, his baton dropping from his hand as his fists clenched and were brought up. She grinned as he came at her, backing up into the wall and bringing her yo-yo up in an easy manner. She swung it out and even before he reached her the string was wrapped around his neck, both of the ends clutched strongly in her hands.

Rage was making his blood flow faster through his veins, his heart pounding in his ears. His eyes were prickling with heat and tears as he stepped forward, pinning her to the wall with his body, and his grip. His mind went blank as his fingers came up to wrap around her throat, tightening only just to the point of inhibiting her breathing.

She laughed, the sound short and full of effort. “So, one remark can set you off. I never knew that about you, kitty.”

It took almost everything in him not to tighten his grip. “Shut up you—you…”

“Bitch?” She finished. “I know I am,” she purred and emphasized her words by tightening the string around his throat, just to the point of discomfort, “but at least I’m honest.”

His eyes were wide with the anger that he felt shaking his body. He was trying so hard not to snap, but he was also holding onto her purely for his own safety. If he let go he might collapse from the pain that was coursing in his heart, or he might do something stupid and attack her. He doubted if he’d be able to stay standing if he were to let go of her at this point. So, he kept his grip, not loosening or tightening it as his eyes scanned her.

That’s when his nose picked up on the smell of dried blood and his eyes locked onto the black bandages wrapped around her right arm. He recognized the material and knew that was where the little Akuma was hiding.

He locked his eyes on her. “This is all because I wasn’t at the fight. This is all because you got hurt.”

Something behind her gaze seemed to move for less than a second. “This has been coming on for much longer than that. You think I really care if you miss one little battle, or get one little scratch? I couldn’t have cared less if you were there.”

Her words bit deep, but he kept telling himself that this wasn’t his Ladybug talking. It was the Akuma speaking in her place, and that kept him going.

They’d talked about it before, the time in which he had been taken over by Dislocoeur, but it had been understood at the time. Now he thought that maybe he could do the same thing to her, maybe get her out of this state through that. He prayed it would work as he swallowed and leaned down ever so slightly.

Ladybug’s grin turned dark and tempting as she pulled on her yo-yo string again, this time pulling him down to where their lips were just barely brushing each others. Chat was surprised by the sudden action and wanted to pull away and would have if not for the tightening string around his throat.

“You really think that kissing me is going to solve anything, kitty?” She purred, her lips just barely stroking his. “Well, unlike you, you stupid kitten, I’m not under any spell. So kissing me would do nothing beyond taunt you.”

She seemed to pause for a moment, thinking over her next words as his eyes closed and focused on the pain her string was causing him. Then it loosened slightly and he found himself inhaling sharply at her next words.

“Maybe I should kiss you.” She said, almost to herself. “Tease you with something you’ll never have and kill you with one of the reasons you’re already in this mess.”

_How does she know?!_ He screamed internally. _How does she know I kissed Marinette?!_

She grinned then, the feeling of her breath on his face making him want to pull her closer, but he kept his hands where they were. His hand around her throat didn’t tighten, and it didn’t loosen either, but it felt almost as if her neck was gone from his grip, and he wanted nothing more than to touch her.

“But I don’t think I’ll play a part in your game.” She murmured after a stretching silence that seemed to last forever. “I’m not as cruel as you to toy with someone’s emotions in that way.”

She moved to gently kiss his cheek, the corner of her lips just barely overlapping his. A shaky breath escaped him as she pulled back, her grip on the string loosening again and he could sense just how close she was to letting go.

“No, I’m going to have a lot more fun with taking your miraculous and leaving you with nothing, you stupid cat.”

Then her hand slipped from her yo-yo and the string went slack around him. He felt his resolve break in that moment, his control shattering to a million pieces as his eyes snapped open and locked on her. He heard and felt the sharp intake of breath under his fingers and he loosened his grip on her throat and slid his hand around to the nape of her neck.

She didn’t have time to react as he moved forward, pressing his body into her and pinning her against the wall as his mouth moved down to hers. She squeaked into his mouth and struggled against him as he closed his eyes and slipped one of his arms around her back, holding her ever so closer.

His hand went up to her hair, pulling the hair ties from it and letting her beautiful locks fall free around her face. He wanted to feel her hair, wanted to see what she would look like without the pigtails for once. He also hoped it would distract her in some way. She seemed to be panicking less as he started gently moving his mouth against hers, his hand slowly sliding up into her hair. As he pulled her closer he could feel the way she seemed to melt against him, her arms coming to wind around his neck.

He gasped in surprise as she pulled him closer and her teeth grazed over his bottom lip. She chuckled under her breath when he pulled away. “You wanted this, kitty.” She hissed, moving forward to try and find his mouth again. “So, _take what you wanted_.”

He complied, but with some hesitation. His hand left her back and came to wrap around her arm, and so did the other as he pressed her back into the wall, deepening the kiss as her hands slid into his hair. She chuckled into his mouth and it made him want to go even farther, but he had to keep his mind focused, had to keep things under his control.

Then one of her hands left his hair and went to slide down to his belt. He yelped and pulled back, his hand slapping down onto hers to keep it still. He could hear the venomous laughter even before he opened his eyes to see her grinning face.

Her eyes were still closed, and he was surprised when she almost collapsed forward into his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. “I knew it. You’re too much of a coward to really act on your emotions.”

He looked down at her in shock. “My emotions would have no correlation with what you are suggesting.”

“Then what do you want from me? Huh?” She bit out bitterly, her head remaining on his shoulder. “Did you just want me to take away your bad luck? Did you just want to kiss me? Or did you just want to brag that you could get me wrapped around your finger?”

Chat swallowed down the insults that were bubbling up in his chest and gently brought two of his fingers up under her chin. He brought her face up to his and forced her to look at him when she finally opened her eyes again. He needed her to see the truth behind his words. He _needed_ her to understand just how true his words were.

“What I want from you is for you to go back to the young woman who I have feelings for.” He said with such confidence that it even surprised him. “If I were to act upon my emotions you and I would be walking along the bay right now, your hand in mine and the moonlight falling over both of us. I’d pull you close as a car passed and ask you if I could kiss you. If you would say no, I’d respect that and we’d continue on, if you said yes, then I’d give you the best goddamn kiss you’ve ever had; nothing like the one we just shared.

“Politely, my lady, if I were to act on my emotions I would follow you home after battles just to make sure you aren’t injured and to make sure that you get home alright. I’d already know who you really are and I would constantly worship you; curl up next to you and take naps with you; spend hours just listening to you talk about your problems, no matter how small.

“I’d do all of this and more because I care for you, Ladybug, even if I don’t know the real you.”

She seemed shocked by his words and even confused. She stared at him, scanning his features in a slack-jawed way that made him want to smile, but he resisted the urge. “Then why did you just kiss me?”

That’s when he smiled warmly and sadly. “I kissed you because I know you won’t remember this and because I needed something to distract you while I got your Akuma away from you.”

It seemed to take a second for his words to register, and by that time he had already stepped back and held up the bandage that he had so expertly unwound from her arm while they had been kissing. She grabbed at her arm quickly and looked back at him.

“You tricked me.”

He winked. “You’ve said it before, I’m a tricky kitty.”

He tore the bandages in half and watched as the Akuma came fluttering out. Ladybug collapsed to her knees with a gasp as the black power of the little insect left her being. Soon she was back to her normal self, blinking up at Chat in surprise.

“Chat? Where are we? What’s going on?” She asked in slightly panicked confusion.

He grinned and waved a hand at the little Akuma. “There’ll be plenty of time to explain later, my lady. Right now I could use a little help with this vile creature.”

She blinked at him for a moment before slowly standing on shaking legs as he bent to retrieve his dropped baton. Chat took notice of how much effort it took for her to go about cleaning the small creature this time, and how she nearly stumbled into the wall afterward.

He rushed forwards to catch her as she almost fell. She nearly collapsed into his arms as she smiled weakly up at him. “Chat, you came! What happened?”

He shook his head, just as her miraculous started beeping. “Like I said, my lady, there will be time for that later. I need to get you home now before your miraculous wears off.”

Panic bloomed in her eyes as she looked up at him, this time, her knees giving out from beneath her. He dropped to the ground with her, holding her the entire time. “No! If you take me home you’ll know who I am.”

He knew she was right, of course, but what other option did they have? Her miraculous only had one spot left. “Tell me then, what am I supposed to do?”

They both seemed to think and after a moment something occurred to him. “I have an idea.”

He bent down and scooped her up, her frame lighter than he remembered. She squeaked in surprise, or pain, he wasn’t sure. “What are you doing?!”

He grinned and took off running. “I’m taking you to a friend of mine. She’s really good at patching up injuries. With any luck, she’s still awake.”

He moved faster than thought as he made his way through the streets, moving by the moon and starlight. He was thankful for the lack of conversation, he didn’t really want to explain any of what had just happened between the two of them. He was just glad that she didn’t remember and would never remember any of it.

As they rounded the corner on the confectionary shop he could hear the sharp intake of breath on Ladybug’s part. It was odd to him. He didn’t see any reason that she would be shocked that he took her here; she seemed to know enough of Marinette and his relationship already.

He quickly took out his baton and extended it to the just higher than Marinette’s balcony, swinging down onto the tiled surface.

He let his baton hit the ground as he moved quickly to her hatch door and opened it, only taking one second to look inside before jumping down. He was smart enough this time to use his night vision and luckily Marinette wasn’t in her room.

He took Lady down to the satte on the main floor of the teen’s room and sat her down there. She looked up at him in surprise as he stood quickly without a word and moved to the bottom of the stairs leading to Marinette’s bed and his one way out. He didn’t want to wait around for Marinette to show up, it would be hard to explain this away.

“Chat, wait.”

He paused, his heart beating fast at the sound of his name on her voice. He looked back at her. “My lady, is everything alright?”

She seemed nervous as the miraculous beeped again in a warning. They would have to make this fast. “Who is this girl exactly? Why did you bring me here?”

The thought of Marinette floated through his head and he grinned warmly to himself, almost like he was sharing an inside joke with himself. “She’s a really good friend of mine that I—I may have messed up things between. But I’ll hopefully fix all of that tomorrow.” Then he looked up at her, his expression going sober. “Just explain things to her and she’ll help. She’s really good at keeping secrets.”

There seemed to be some hesitation in her nod that followed. They still stayed that way for a while longer, though, staring at each other. Then the sharp beeping of her miraculous timing out brought both of them back to the moment.

Chat took off up the stairs and leaped through the hatch just as a bright pink flash lit the room below him.

He wanted to look, he always did when this kind of thing happened, but as always he closed the hatch and took off towards his own home after quickly retrieving his baton. He needed to get his mind straight after what had just happened. He couldn’t talk to Marinette in this kind of a state, but he was going to talk to her.

_Tomorrow,_ he promised himself, _I’ll see her tomorrow and make everything alright._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last kissing scene was shamefully bad so I needed to make up for it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is emotionally rattled and Adrien tries to make things up to her by inviting her to a dance. Things don’t go quite according to plan for either of them.

Marinette felt terrible. It was the simplest fact she had come to know and almost appreciate. At least now she was feeling anything at all. 

Almost the entirety of yesterday was gone from her memory. The only thing she remembered was going home from the battle, sobbing as she tried to bandage her arm, then, nothing. She was aware she had been akumized, but she’d never understood how fully the memory loss of the event was until now.

She was surprised that an Akuma wasn’t showing up now, but she remembered that they don’t show up because someone is tired and angry. She hadn’t slept a wink last night, too confused by how Chat had been able to get the bandages away from her, or how he had just simply shown up after not talking to her for a few days. Where had he been? Why did he go after Ladybug first? Had he seen the battle and just decided not to help? Did he know she was Ladybug?

All questions that had been bouncing around her head for the entirety of the night before.

Now she sat in class with her head resting on her crossed hands with her stomach growling and her mind wondering. Adrien sat before her, dutifully taking notes like always. She almost growled at the thought that he hadn’t talked to her all day, or even looked at her in the slightest way. Did he feel guilty? Proud of leaving her like this?

She didn’t really care anymore. Last night she had amended herself to be full of anger and regret towards him. But what he’d said had given her some hope.

_I’ll hopefully fix all of that tomorrow._ It had made her chest warm and alive at the thought that he would talk to her about everything. Then the total and utter neglect from him had snuffed out her hopes like a young child’s birthday candles.

Her eyes were starting to feel heavier the longer class went on, her mind refusing to let her fall asleep. The time between blinks was becoming longer and longer by the minute. _Just for a few seconds. I’ll close my eyes for a few seconds then focus on the lesson._ She told herself and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by a warm hand on her arm, a gentle voice in her ear. She opened her eyes and sat up groggily, looking around the classroom. It was utterly empty, not a soul to be seen besides her and…

“Adrien?” She questioned, rubbing her eyes and squinting up at the clock.

“Yeah, you fell asleep. It’s lunch time now.”

Marinette looked back to him. His golden hair was shining in the light from the windows, his eyes bright and full of light. She could only imagine how she looked; the image of a troll with pig tails came to mind. She kept the glare from her face as she started packing away her things. How was it that he could just talk to her like this and look that good? Didn’t he know how much she dreaded even seeing him?

“Well, thank you for waking me up. I need to get home.” She stood abruptly and scooted around him.

She took off in the direction of the door but was slowed by his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you.”

She laughed bitterly under her breathe, hopefully quiet enough for him not to hear. “Well, I don’t really feel like talking, thank you, Adrien.”

She shook off his arm and picked up her pace. As she reached the door she reached out, and felt him do the same. His hand wrapped around her bicep, right over the gash that was still painful just to move.

Marinette winced and flinched at his touch and she hoped it hadn’t been that noticeable, but she saw the look on his face as she was turned back around to face him. He let go almost immediately, giving her an apologetic look. Marinette allowed a scowl to cross her features.

“What do you want?” She barked, her voice sour to her own ears.

He winced at her words and looked even more apprehensive than before. He seemed nervous, his fingers crossing and uncrossing in front of him over and over. Marinette didn’t find it just for him to be the nervous one.

“I-I’m sorry about what happened between us.” He said softly, his voice floating out to meet her.

Marinette couldn’t help the shock that went through her. He glanced up at her and she could see clearly the surprise in his own expression. She honestly hadn’t expected him to apologize. Knowing Chat and the status of Adrien Agreste she had just thought that he would never talk to her again, using her and throwing her out. But the slight blush on his cheeks and the fear in his eyes was enough to quiet her raging mind.

“What?” She asked, her voice soft.

He looked away again, down to his hands, as if they held the answer to everything. “I’m sorry about coming in to meet you like that a few nights ago. I’m sorry that I kind of forced myself on you and then left without a word. I’m sorry that I haven’t spoken to you since, I haven’t had the chance. I was in Tokyo for a shoot and didn’t have the time. And I’m sorry that I haven’t talked to you sooner, I just...I didn’t know how to go about this.”

He looked up at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. She doubted she would ever get used to looking into those beautiful green eyes, or looking at his amazingly sculpted features. He smiled sheepishly, but it melted away when he saw her face, the surprise and pure amazement in her eyes.

“Did-did I say something wrong?” He asked, an edge of panic showing through.

At that, Marinette almost laughed. Adrien looked concerned as the laughter stretched on, almost turning hysterical. “I’m sorry-I’m sorry.” She stuttered after a minute. “You show up again after a few days of not a single word and dropping Ladybug off at my place last night without any context and you just expect me to forgive you?”

The look of disappointment and utter betrayal on his face made Marinette want to jump out the window. “S-so you don’t forgive me?”

Marinette stopped laughing. The hurt in his voice. The look on his face. The slump in his shoulders. This was the vision of a broken boy who was grasping to the last thing that might bring him some solace. She felt the pain in her own heart that her words were causing him. She had to fix this, he already had enough trouble at home, he didn’t need anymore trouble from her. She knew he’d meant best.

She reached out suddenly, as if her hand was under its own volition. Adrien jumped as her palm came up to cup his cheek, the other soon following. She pulled his face towards hers, making sure he was looking deep into her eyes. She needed him to understand her next words.

“Adrien, I...I do forgive you I just…” she sighed and gently stroked under his eye with her thumb. “I just want you to understand that I was expecting to wake up with you next to me, and when you were gone it was just…”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the memory of her panic coming back to mind. She felt two warms hands come up to gently hold her sides and her eyes snapped up to the boy before her. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t as broken looking anymore.

“I know, and I’m sorry, Marinette.” He said softly, his voice full of emotion. “I left because I thought you would just take me for one of those guys who uses girls, since I can’t get Ladybug to warm up to me.”

Marinette was struck dumb, her mind going blank. Then she started laughing again, the giggles bubbling up from deep in her. She fell forward, her head resting on his chest. Adrien was shocked, his hands coming back as if he had done something wrong to cause this.

“Are you kidding me?” She asked, her voice full of giggles.

Adrien hesitated. “Uh, what?” His voice was so cautious it made her laugh even harder. 

She looked up at him again, wiping tears from her eyes. “I was mad at you for the same reason. I thought you left because you felt guilty about kissing me.”

It was Adrien’s turn to look surprised. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah. So, I guess we were both just assuming the wrong thing.”

Adrien stared at her for a longer second, still not seeming to comprehend that she understood now and was forgiving him. Then a very Chat-like grin spread across his face and his hands came to rest back on her sides.

“Well, can I still make it up to you somehow?”

She looked at him suspiciously. “How would you make it up to me?”

Adrien took one of his hands away from her hips, diving into his pocket to fish out a small card. He twirled it around in his hand for a moment, seeming to think.

“Before the shoot, I made a deal with my father.” He admitted, his fingers stopping on the card. “If I did well enough modeling for him and the investors actually started investing, he would do something for me in return.” A beautiful smile broke his face as he gently slipped the card into her pocket, glancing up into her eyes. “I’m having a dance at my house tonight. It’s a masquerade event, and the dress is fifties, but with a jazzy kind of swing to things.”

She looked at him curiously. “The event is tonight and you expect me to be able to design and create a dress in that amount of time?”

The smile that split his face was the brightest thing she had ever seen. “See, that’s the thing. I already have a dress for you.”

He pulled out another card and held it up. Marinette almost immediately recognized the designer’s name scrawled on the paper. “I called Alya on the way home and got your measurements. The dress should arrive some time this afternoon. You can wear it if you’d like, or you can make your own.”

Marinette honestly didn’t know what to say as he slipped the designer’s card into her pocket. She watched his gently features, the way his eyelashes cast soft shadows over his cheeks as he looked down at her, and the way his hands were so soft and warm on her sides. She could feel the heat that was rising in her cheeks, but for once she didn’t move to conceal it.

“I-I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Adrien.”

He looked so happy, almost glowing. “So, you’ll come?”

The fact that he even had to ask was funny to Marinette and caught her up in a giggling fest. She had to go up onto her tiptoes to reach him but it was worth it. She left a chaste kiss on his cheek, letting part of her lips cross his. “Of course, I’m coming, you silly boy.”

She loved the way his arms slid around her, pulling her even closer. “I’m glad.”

They stayed like that until Alya came back to the classroom, only God knowing how long that was. It was nice to be able to feel each other, and be supported by one another.

  


“He did _what?!_ ’ Marinette screeched, her voice hitting an octave even she didn’t know existed. Without realizing she’d stuck herself with yet another pin and quickly pulled it out, popping the injured finger into her mouth.

“Marinette, are you okay?” She heard shouted from the downstairs.

“I’m fine mom!” She called back, but it was too late, she already heard Sabine coming up the steps.

The hatch to her room opened and her mother’s head popped in, gazing worriedly at her daughter. “Is anything wrong?”

Marinette shook her head and gestured to the computer screen tilted towards her. “I was just watching one of my shows while sewing. Don’t worry about me.”

Her mother seemed to take her in for a moment longer, a falsely reassuring grin spreading across her daughter’s face. “Alright, just be careful with your machine, I still need to take it in to have the pedal looked at.”

Marinette nodded and waved her mother goodbye as she disappeared into the downstairs, almost collapsing back into her desk chair when she was gone.

She was sewing, but it was more for her own sanity sake. The dress that Adrien had been talking about arrived right when she’d gotten home that afternoon and it had been gorgeous, just not her style. So she’d spent the last few hours making adjustments to it, changing to top layer of fabric on the skirt to a deep red with black smattering it instead of the red bleeded pink it had been before. The skirts themselves she trimmed and sewed up to be more ‘jazzy’ as he had said the theme was.

Oh, and she wasn’t actually watching anything on her computer. She had up an article on how to make a fifties style dress, but that wasn’t what she was freaking out about. Tikki had spent the last hour spelling out what exactly went on during her akumized time, and so far Marinette wasn’t liking it.

The little kwami flew around to her wielder's shoulder and sat down gently, cautious of her still throbbing arm. “I’ve told you everything at least three times now, Marinette. Adrien came back from the shoot in Tokyo to find us akumized and we started...talking...and in order to get the bandages away from us he was smart enough to kiss us. It distracted us long enough for him to get them off your arm.”

Marinette’s fingers dug into her fabric, another needle sticking her. She took it out and sucked the blood off her finger again, keeping her eyes glued to the fabric under her hands. She shook her head, the shock of everything making her body so tense she felt almost like a hollow statue; the slightest touch and she would shatter. It was hard to breathe, the information thrown at her in the last few minutes like a weight on her chest.

“But how do _you_ know all of this if we were akumized?” She bit out at her kwami, the little creature being thrown from her shoulder as she violently jerked away.

Tikki spun in the air once to regain her balance before coming back down. Marinette wouldn’t look at the little companion, instead choosing to focus on sewing another line of stitches with her malfunctioning machine.

“Tikki, how do you know? How come you can recite exactly what was said word for word while I can’t even remember leaving the house?”

Tikki seemed to think over what she was going to say. “I kinda had partial control over things as you two talked.”

Marinette froze, her fingers halting and her foot coming up off the pedal. “You _what?_ ”

Tikki flinched at the venom in the young girl’s voice. “Marinette, don’t be mad. I was the only thing keeping you from really hurting him.”

“Really hurting him?” The young girl screeched, her voice pitching with the anger that was so obvious in the burning eyes that locked on the kwami. “What the hell do you consider really hurting him? I basically tore him down with just a few words. He probably feels like the worst person in the world right now because the girl he’s in love with ripped out his heart and danced on it!”

She tore the fabric away from the machine after quickly finishing the knot, violently snipping the excess string. “Marinette, you don’t realize that we could have killed him. We had our yo-yo around his neck. If I hadn’t done what I had he’d be dead right now.”

Marinette wouldn’t look at the small companion next to her, instead lifting up the dress and staring at the fabric in her hands. Her eyes were almost unseeing as she looked for anymore imperfections in the design or in the sewing. “I bet he wishes he’d be dead right now, thinking that Ladybug is against him.”

“He might know that you aren’t mad at him.” Tikki offered.

Marinette tensed, the way her friend had said that was different. “He knows _I’m_ not mad at him, but Ladybug is a different story. Why would suggest that he knew that _she’s_ not mad at him just because I’m not?”

She saw in her peripheral when the small kwami flinched, recoiling, realizing her mistake. “Um, about that.”

“What did you do?” Marinette growled darkly. Tikki didn’t answer. “Tikki, what did you do?!”

“I didn’t really do anything!” The small ladybug girl squeaked. “Well, nothing directly anyway. You see, Plagg—Adrien’s kwami—and I are really good friends, old friends. So, when you two fell asleep he and me kind of...caught up. And I told him not to tell Adrien but he said that Adrien asks he’ll—”

She was cut off by the look of her wielder, how pale she had gone and by her suddenly dropping the dress to the floor. Marinette was barely breathing as her hands fell to her lap, her pant’s fabric being the only thing actually tangible to her. She felt disconnected like everything was numb or nonexistent. Her eyes locked straight forward as the realization hit, her identity would possibly get out.

She’d always wanted to keep her identity a secret, not simply because of privacy, but also because of safety. There had been a few incidents in which Chat had been taken over by the power of one of their enemies, or once when he had almost been akumized himself (but that’s a long story), and if not for the fact that he hadn’t known her identity she would have been found out. She didn’t want either of them knowing, because as soon as the cat was out of the bag, they were both dead.

“So, I’m out then. He already knows I’m Ladybug and that’s the only reason he’s ever going to talk to me again. This is it, this is the day in which Ladybug and Chat Noir die.” She murmured and slowly bent to retrieve her dress, aware of it maybe getting dirty from the floor.

Tikki was concerned now, she’d never seen her wielder like this before. Never before had Marnette been this hurt by anyone. She flew up. “No, Marinette, it’s not! Plagg said he wasn’t going to tell Adrien unless he asked specifically if you are Ladybug. He’s not going to find out for a while! Besides, I thought you wanted him to find you.”

Marinette shook her head. “I thought I did too, but now...”—she shook her head again, trying to clear the fog out of her thoughts—“Tikki it’s too dangerous. I understand that you had enough control to keep us from hurting him or going after him at his own home but still. Knowing who we are, it’s just too dangerous, and you know that. God, you know that better than me. Why did you talk to Plagg? Why? This could ruin everything.”

Tikki pursed her lips and shrunk in on herself. She didn’t know what to say to Marinette, and Marinette didn’t want to hear any of it. She stood abruptly, holding up the dress and scrutinizing it again.

“Tikki,” she said coolly, “I think for tonight it’d be best if you stay home. If there’s an akuma I’ll come and get you but beyond that, I think...I think I need some time away from all of this hero business.”

She didn’t look back at her kwami as she moved behind the partition to change, slipping on the dress and looking in her mirror. It was fitted perfectly to her, and she’d trimmed it just right. She stepped out from behind the screen, going to grab her purse and put on her shoes.

“Marinette, please.” She heard behind her as she went to crawl out of her room, but she didn’t look back.

She closed the hatch without a second thought, taking a deep breath and continuing on her way down the stairs.

As soon as her mother saw her her face lit up. “Oh, Mari! You look so beautiful.”

She moved to hug her daughter, wrapping her up in a warm embrace that Marinette appreciated. She returned the hug, loving every second of it. Then Sabine pulled back, holding her daughter at arm’s length, pursing her lips as she studied the young lady.

After a moment she smiled and nodded. “This Adrien boy is a lucky man.” She said with a wink.

Marinette laughed softly and hugged her mom again but the actions felt stiff. “We’re both lucky.”

She could feel Sabine’s smile against her hair as her mother laughed. “Well, I surely hope he can live up to deserving you.”

Marinette smiled sweetly as she pulled back, giving her mother a quick peck on the cheek before turning. “Thanks, mom. I’m gonna be late if I stay much longer. Love you!”

She took off out the door and down the street, heading towards Adrien’s house. On her way she reached into her purse and pulled out the mask that had come with the dress, pressing it onto her face it felt a little too familiar, too much like another mask she was known to wear.

_No,_ she thought, _this night is for me, Marinette. No more Ladybug, at least not for tonight._

  


_Damn, I can hear the saxophones from here,_ Marinette thought as she rounded the corner to Adrien’s court yard.

Inside she saw so many people that she was astounded, not realizing just how many people had shown up. Then she noticed the amount of models and people in up to date fashion. She frowned, realizing that of course there would have been a catch to Adrien being allowed to throw a party. The condition, in this case, being that he’d have to invite his father’s associates.

She sighed and started up the steps, checking to see if her bag was still hanging at her side. Still there.

When she entered she found herself drowning in a sea of colors and smells. Old styled perfumes and colognes clogged the air along with the smell of sugary beverages and food being set out. Everyone had apparently looked up or styled their outfits around the typical color scheme of the fifties of bright hues and whites and yellows. She’d never seen this many men in waist coats and women in fit and flares in her life.

Then she was made aware of just how much she stood out when the first few people started staring. She didn’t blame them, her coloring was a little different than theirs.

Her lips matched the color of her blood dress, with the exceptions of the black that was smattered across the fabric in a beautifully random way. The red ended half way down her thighs and revealed the black under skirts that ended just above her knees. The top of the dress hugged her exactly the way it should, being solid red except for the black band that wound around her throat and held the dress in place. Her feet were clad in dark red dancing shoes with laces that wound their way up to her knees.

Compared to everyone else she must have looked dark and brooding. It took her a moment of deep breathing and steeling herself before she took off into the crowd, looking for the young man that was hosting the event. She saw Alya and Nino off in a corner, showing each other things on their phones.

Marinette stopped, considering whether or not she should say hi. The two teens sat close together, with swapped headphones and smiles on their faces as they held their devices. Then she saw the way that Nino’s eyes left the screen in Alya’s palm, instead gliding over the girl sitting next to him.

Marinette decided it would be best to leave those two be.

She continued on through the mass, searching, even talking to a few people and asking if they had seen Adrien around. She was guided around the floor by misleading accounts of seeing the young man and was even shuffled between the foyer and the dining room.

About twenty minutes into her hunt she noticed that she had developed a low grumble, just barely audible to even her own ears. But the muttering was silenced when she laid eyes on the young man she had been looking for for so long.

He stood in a pair of black and green pin striped dress pants, a deep emerald green button down shirt tucked into the waistband. He wore a black waistcoat and black dancing shoes to match. His blond hair fell in front of his face in a much too feril way that made her heart skip a beat.

Black mask or not she would have recognized him anywhere. But it took her a moment to recognize the young woman hanging from him.

Chloe had her arms wrapped around Adrien’s shoulders, her fingers visibly playing with the curls at the back of his head. The sight sent bile up Marinette’s throat and it took all she had not to gag. Then she saw the way that Adrien had his hands on Chloe’s sides, politely trying to push her away.

Then a pair of emerald eyes locked with hers and she could see the shock that went through his body as he froze. It made her gasp, hoping that she didn’t look too terrible. Chloe turned to look at her after Adrien said something to her, the girl’s grip loosening enough to allow for him to escape.

People didn’t move for him, but he was agile enough to dodge between the moving bodies as he made his way towards her. His eyes were hot and almost needing as they roamed her. She felt the sharp intake of breath on her part and her own gaze going over him. He looked so good, and despite all of the people around it seemed like they were the only two around, gazing at each other.

As he reached her he stopped only inches away, his hands twitching at his sides. She wondered if she looked just as desperate as he did. She wanted to touch him, but she didn’t move, too afraid of what it would do to the moment. So, they stood, watching one another and studying the other. His stare was so hot on her; she felt like she would melt wherever his eyes touched. 

Then Adrien moved forward and gently brushed a loose lock back away from her face, leaning in so his lips hovered just above her ear. She relished the feeling of his hot breath on her skin.

“Lady? What are you doing here?” He asked in a hushed tone.

Suddenly the illusion of it being just the two of them shattered, like a stone being thrown through glass. His words acted like picks, chipping away at her sanity and hope that this night was going to be just for her and that she was going to enjoy herself. Of course, she had been wrong.

Ladybug followed her everywhere.

She felt something break in her as her mind went almost blank. She felt like laughing again, but she didn’t. Her mind found the only logical thing to do in this situation. She couldn’t tell him that she was Marinette, he’d then be able to connect it that she’s Ladybug. No, instead she chose the much more complicated route.

If Ladybug wouldn’t leave her be, why not just play along for her sanity’s sake?

She put on a fake smile and took a deep breath through her clenched teeth. “Well, it’s a party, isn’t it? Besides, I wanted to talk to you, handsome boy. Or should I call you kitty?” She said and gently pushed his chest, but she couldn’t bring her full confidence into the gesture and he seemed to notice.

Adrien hesitated for a moment. “So, Marinette told you?”

Marinette froze. Shit. “No, I figured it out on my own. Like—like I said, I have my connections.” She quickly stuttered out.

Adrien seemed shocked at first, even a little apprehensive and she hoped he wouldn’t pry further. After all, he had his dream girl before him—as far as he knew—and had the night with her. She saw so many different emotions run across his features it was hard for her to feel anything but anxious.

Surprise was one of the major ones. Confusions appeared twice. Happiness and suspicion seemed to run hand in hand, and then he seemed to settle on total and utter elations.

The grin that sparked his face gave Marinette the chance to breathe, not realizing before that she had been holding her breath.

He looked behind him and started rolling up the sleeves on his shirt, leaving them just above his elbows. It looked good on him, so good it sent Marinette’s heart into a fumbling summersault. “Well, my Lady, would you like to join me for a dance or two?”

He offered her his arm and she looked at him for a moment, hesitating. She pried at her mind for what Ladybug would normally do. Normally, she would shove him away, take his hand and be the one to leading _him_ out onto the floor, but she doubted the butterflies in her stomach would allow her to do anything of the sort.

Finally, she took his arm wordlessly and allowed him to waid them through the crowd. Adrien seemed to take note of her silence and her deliberate allowance of him leading her, but he made no remark on it. This wasn’t normal of his Ladybug, and he knew something was wrong, just not what.

As he pulled her to the middle of the designated dance floor he gently swung her out in front of him, keeping her hand in his and resting his other on her side, moving her hips along to the beat. It was a jazz song so the movements were energetic and quick, which Marinette appreciated. It left little room for talk between all of the fast steps and spins.

“So, may I ask why you have decided to grace us all with your presence, my Lady?” He asked after a minute or two of dancing.

She wouldn’t look him in the eyes, instead choosing to stare at his collar. It wasn’t really out of anger, it was more out of disappointment. Disappointment of him immediately thinking her to be Ladybug instead of the girl he had invited. “I went to Marinette’s this afternoon to get patched up again and she wanted me to send her regards. She can’t—” she hesitated, swallowing down her pride, “she can’t make it.”

She was aware of the look it elicited from him as he spun her out, then back into him. She could only imagine the questions running through his mind as to why she couldn’t make it. If only he’d thought to see who the girl in his arms really was.

“She can’t make it?”

Marinette nodded stiffly, her eyes staying locked on his throat. “She said it was something important and to tell you she’s sorry.”

There was a moment of his jaw falling open as if he wanted to keep questioning her. Then his mouth closed again, a sigh escaping his nose. “I’ll call her later to check up on her.” He resolved after a short silence.

Marinette nodded again, but didn’t comment any further. They danced in silence then, simply moving to the music. The longer it lasted Marinette became aware of just how numb she felt. She wasn’t really moving herself. She would always wait for Adrine’s touch; his guidance as to when and where to go. She was compliant and went with everything he wanted her to do; it must have seemed odd. Ladybug wasn’t a follower.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him or try and move against his will. Her mind was elsewhere. She was picturing what last night with him in that alley must have been like. Tikki had been more than gracious with her detailing and it wasn’t that far of a leap to imagine what it must have been like kissing him like that.

“Is-is something on your mind?” He asked after a moment.

Marinette pursed her lips and considered if she should ask him about last night as he dropped her into a low dip. Her eyes opted for the ceiling as the world was turned upside down, her mind too focused to meet Adrien’s searching gaze.

“My kwami and I had a very interesting conversation this afternoon.” She admitted after a little.

Adrien didn’t seem to think anything of her comment. “Oh?”

She nodded, either building up her confidence or losing her mind. “Yeah. It had something to do with you kissing me when I was akumized.”

That’s when he almost froze, his feet losing the rhythm they had kept up until that moment. He stumbled, almost falling face first into Marinette if not for her moving quick enough to catch him, making it look like he had dipped in and she was meant to spin around and pull him back in. She honestly didn’t know how she did it but soon they were back to dancing and he was flushed.

“S-sorry!” He chirped as he regained his composure.

Marinette shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.” She muttered.

There was a silence between them then, but the questions and answers seemed to separate them as they moved together, sitting beneath their feet and moving them farther away the longer they waited.

“How much did your kwami remember? Or tell you?” Adrien finally broke the silence.

“Everything.” Marinette’s voice was hard and short even to her own ears. “Word for word.”

His grip involuntarily tightened on her side, making her grimace and flinch. He apologized again and she once again brushed it off. “I-I guess then you know how I feel about you.”

It was more of a statement than a question, and yet she had to think it over. What did he really mean by that? Did he mean the fact that she had torn him to pieces and he probably hated her with a passion now or did he mean the things he’d said about having feelings for her? She was confused, and scared of the answer, but Adrien was waiting for a response.

“I suppose I do. And...about the things I told you…”

She trailed off, biting her bottom lip. She wanted to apologize to him, but where does one start when apologizing about something they don’t even remember? At that moment a slower song came on and Marinette could have gone up and hugged the dj. She needed them to stop moving so sporadically so she could deal with this in an appropriate manner.

Adrien pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist and moving her slowly to the new beat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kept her eyes down, still on his collar.

He shook his head, almost like he was trying to get rid of something with the movements. “I know you didn’t mean any of it. You don’t have to apologize, my Lady. It was the aku—”

“What are your feelings towards that Marinette girl?” She asked suddenly, cutting him off.

She didn’t know why she’d asked it. Honestly. She had just been thinking about how bitter she had been; the things she had said to him about leaving her behind; using herself as a way to get to him. She’d been wondering what she really meant to him. And now the words were out and there was no getting them back.

He was surprised by her outburst and it took him a moment to recompose himself. “Um, well, I-I…” He sighed, not seeming to know where to start. Marinette didn’t blame him. “I guess I have the same feelings towards her as I do towards you.”

The tension that ran through her body at that moment nearly made her lock up on the spot. What was _that_ supposed to mean? Did he love her just the same? Or did he despise Marinette like he must have hated Ladybug for tearing out his heart? And if he hated her, then why? What had she ever done wrong to him?.

“You share the same feelings for the both of us?” She asked, her voice tiny as she looked down at the floor, too many confusing thoughts running through her mind.

She could feel his gaze on her, but she couldn’t bring her eyes back up to his. “I-I do. Lady, are you—”

“And after what I said to you last night you must _hate_ me.” She hissed out bitterly. Adrien was frozen by her words, stopping them in their tracks. “So, if you hate me then you must also hate her as well…”

“Lady, wait, no, I don’t—”

“I-I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” She burst out and turned, her arms slipping from his shoulders.

She thought she’d be able to do this, play along with the charade. Boy, had she been wrong. Now she was just confused and scared of the answers she already knew to be true. He must hate her, must have just invited her out of pity. She felt something snap inside her as she turned to walk away, her hand coming up to wipe the tears she felt coming to her eyes.

“What? Wait. Lady.” He reached out for her, just barely grasping her wrist and forcing her to look back at him at least once.

He gasped, his grip loosening enough for her to wrench her arm from his hold and take off running through the crowd. She wondered what he had seen in that one glance, but she already knew.

In that one glance he had seen something he had never seen on Ladybug’s face before. 

Tears.

She was crying as she ran through the crowd, ripping off her mask and tossing it down as she emerged on his front court yard. She didn’t look back as she took off across the stone covered ground, wanting nothing more than to get away.

She honestly didn’t know where she was going to go. She didn’t want to go home to Tikki and her life as a noone Marinette, and she didn’t want to go back to the party in which she had to pretend to be something she wasn’t. She just wanted to get away, so she kept running.

That is, until she was brought to a screeching halt at the main gate to his house. Before it stood a young woman with dark blue hair pulled back into a high ponytail and sharp golden eyes that seemed to pierce Marinette where she stood. She stood in a floor length golden dress with a long slit running up one of the legs. Her smile was maniacal as she stared at Marinette.

“Why, isn’t it the little tramp. What’s the matter, running away before you turn back into a pumpkin?”

Marinette gasped as she recognized the voice. This was Chloe, but akumized. What had upset this young woman so much as to make her a target of Hawk Moth’s?

Then she remembered the way Chloe had been draped over Adrien, and the scorn in her eyes as he had brushed her off to go and meet who he thought was Ladybug.

Behind her she could hear distant foot fall on the stone steps as Chloe moved faster than her muddled mind could comprehend. Her hands shot out and clasped onto Marinette’s mouth and side, spinning her around so she we held in a death grip.

“My Lady!” She heard shouted across the courtyard.

Marinette struggled then, biting Chloe’s hand. The young woman was forced to release her fingers long enough for Marinette to get a few words out. “Adrien! Help me!”

Her voice was panicked and desperate, the last part of her words almost muffled by Chloe’s hand. That’s when she saw the flash of green, and her eyes locked on Adrien as he came to a screeching stop before the two girls. Marinette could almost feel the grin that split Chloe’s face.

She giggled as she tightened her grip on the struggling Marinette before her. “Oh, isn’t this cute? The young prince coming to find the young woman he so desperately wants even though she is _nothing_.”

Recognition flashed in his eyes but Marinette realized that they were still hidden in the shadows of his gate. He probably only saw the two girls’ dresses. “Chloe, what are you doing? Let her go.”

She laughed again, throwing her head back. “Not likely!” She spat. “And the name’s Goldenheart. Now, you want this stupid wannabe? Get Chat Noir to come and try to take her back. Knowing you it should be easy to find him. But I’d hurry because this one,”—she shook Marinette back and forth in her arms, causing the young woman to struggle harder—“might not last long if he takes too long.”

Marinette saw Adrien nervously lick his lips as his eyes locked on her. She hoped the shadows would hide her face. “You seriously expect me to be able to do that?”

Chloe’s grin was piercing and poisonous. “Oh, it’s not really a matter of if, it’s a matter of when you do. Because if you don’t I’m going to have fun with this young lady.” She purred. “You have until morning to bring Chat Noir to the capitol building.”

That was the last word shared between the teens before Chloe—Goldenheart—surrounded the two young women with a sort of golden light. Marinette saw Adrien’s eyes go wide through the veil the light created and saw the way he took off sprinting towards them.

A bright flash erupted between the teens and everything went black.

Before the darkness set in, however, Marinette had the image of Adrien’s out-stretched hand and the last syllable of an almost unfinished word on his lips burned into her mind. Her name. _Marinette._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me guess, you guys thought I forgot about this fic? Nope. It just took way too long for me to get this chapter edited. This is a really long one too, and the next one is either gonna be really short or really long. Sorry. Enjoy :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat makes a mistake that leaves Marinette and him hunting for a way out. Will his plan work?

Adrien was frozen, his arm still stretching out before him, his hand flat on the cold surface of his yard’s wall. His lips were slightly parted with his horrified pants, his eyes wide with the shock of what he’d just seen. His lungs felt suddenly non-existent as his breathing seemed to cease, his fingers no longer able to feel the icy stone beneath his fingers.

Had that really happened? Had he really just seen Chloe in a golden dress, Marinette in her arms? Had he really not been able to talk his way out of that like normal? Had he really not been fast enough in getting to the girls before they disappeared? Had Marinette really been there?

Where did Marinette come from?

_Why was Marinette there?_

He’d seen her, standing there in Chloe’s arms, her eyes red and her face twisted with fear. She wasn’t wearing a mask, but she had been wearing a red dress, which he guessed she’d made herself. But why had she come if she’d already told Ladybug to send him her regards? Or had Ladybug lied to him? Or had she lied to Ladybug?

His mind was spinning, and his fingers on the wall suddenly had to support his weight as he leaned on the stone for support. This was not at all how this night was supposed to go.

_She’s at the courthouse, captured by Chloe,_ he thought. _You can sort this all out later, she’s in danger._

That thought jarred him to action. Marinette’s in danger. He was snapped out of his trance, taking off across the courtyard and up the steps into his house. He had to elbow and dash his way through the crowd of models and famous faces, but soon he found himself scaling the stairs to his room.

He entered quickly, slamming the door shut behind him and quickly going to his closet. He threw the door open and shouted, “Plagg!”

The tired looking kwami floated out from beneath a jacket. “What? C’mon, Adrien, I was in the middle of a nap.”

“She took her.” He barked and started pacing his floor, his hands combing nervously through his hair, fingers shaking.

Plagg’s expression turned confused. “Wait, what? Who took who?”

“Chloe!” The teen nearly screamed. “Chloe was akumized and she took Marinette. I-I don’t understand what she was doing here but she’s in trouble, Plagg. We need to get down to the courthouse, _now._ ”

The kwami could almost feel the intensity in his wielder's words. “Okay, okay, don’t freak out on me. Let’s transform and go get her. You’ve already wasted enough time with talking to me.”

The last remark seemed to do nothing more than further the distress of the blond. “Oh, shit. Plagg, transform me!”

  


Chat Noir had never run harder in his life, or as frantically. He was taking dangerous and risky jumps over the roofs, dodging into streets that lead to speeding cars, and landing on sharp objects, one of which slipped and stabbed into the side of his calf. Still, he forced his legs to keep moving, his feet to keep pushing off the ground to propel him forward.

His lungs seemed to have returned as his breathing hitched each time he found himself in a new predicament. Still, Plagg was being gracious enough to give him the infinite energy his alter ego always seemed to have. Even when he normally would have stumbled from his muddled mind his feet moved to catch himself and use the new momentum as a propellant. He was grateful for the never-ending agility the black cat provided.

The only thoughts that ran through his head were of Ladybug and Marinette. What kind of a relationship did those two have? Why had Ladybug lied to him, or Marinette to Lady? What had upset Ladybug so much as to make her leave like that? Why had Marinette been crying? Why had Ladybug been crying? He had no answer to the questions, except one.

Marinette would be able to tell him after she’s safe.

And soon Ladybug would be back at his side to fight with him, and he’d be able to get some answers out of her. Maybe.

The Parisian skyline wasn’t that lively tonight, or at least it wasn’t until he came closer to the center of the city. Then everyone seemed to be awake and alert.

People were looking out windows, standing on balconies, swarming the streets and they were all heading to one thing.

The sun had long since set, the night sky should have been void of light save for the stars and moon, but up ahead Chat could see a bright golden glow enveloping the surrounding buildings and brightening the sky. The glow was golden and bright but in a surprisingly cold way.

Chat jumped down from the roofs, too many people out for his comfort of running across the tiles, landing soundlessly on the stone walkway below. He took off through the crowd, easily dodging between pedestrians and slipping into gaps in the masses. His ears picked up on gasps and murmured rumors of a new villain and Ladybug not yet appearing.

_Ladybug isn’t here yet?_ Chat thought as he emerged on the courthouse.

A gasp escaped his lips at the sight before him. The courthouse was already a large and magnificent structure, with dozens of windows and large stone pillars and walls. Now the entire building was glowing from within, a golden light spilling onto the cobblestone courtyard. He could see the doors open, revealing the grand entrance of the structure.

He didn't hesitate in sprinting inside, the doors swinging closed behind him as he heard people calling that Chat Noir had arrived. Before he had time to react to their shouts he was frozen by the sight of the room around him. Along the walls, floor, and ceiling was a bright golden band, wrapping its way around the room.

All color was utterly washed out by the lustrous glow and it made everything look too perfect to be real. He bent to examine part of the band, gently reaching out. As his clawed glove touched the light he could feel the heat through his leather, and recoiled quickly.

He looked up then, following the line with his eyes. It lead around the room, then back into one of the offices in the rear of the building. The band circling the door then slipping beneath. His heart skipped a beat as a sharp breath hissed through his teeth.

_Marinette,_ he thought, _I’m coming._

But he moved cautiously as he went to the door, moving to see if he could look under the door. Nothing. He tried pressing his ear to the wood, seeing if he could catch anything. Not even a whisper. He was starting to wonder if this was the right room before a giggle floated from behind the door to him.

It was unmistakably Chloe, and it now sounded like she was talking to someone. No doubt she was monologuing to Marinette about her plan to vanquish everyone and everything. Chat felt sorrier for Marinette than worried.

He grabbed the knob and opened the door slowly, entering the surprisingly dark room. Even with his night vision, he couldn’t see anything, almost as if Chloe was taking all possible light from the room, except for a single glowing orb in the center.

Ignoring the fact that it was so dark Chat walked up the orb, studying it. Chloe’s voice was being emitted from it, each time she spoke a new pulse of light running through it. He reached out, wanting to touch the light to see if he could maybe use it to find out what was going on.

Just as his hand was about to touch it, it pulsed brighter than before saying silkily, “Hello, Chat Noir.”

He gasped, his hand shooting back as the room was suddenly erupting with piercing light. The walls and ceiling were suddenly enveloped with a golden ribbon, the rays setting the room into an uncomfortable heat. He barely had time to turn to run before the band shot out away from the walls to come and wrap around him.

His body was enfolded in the heated light, his arms being sucked to his sides and his legs locking in a neutral stance. He struggled against the bands, the heat from the glow now searing the exposed skin at his throat. He heard the door open to his side and he struggled to look at the glowing girl in the doorway.

Her dress was almost as bright as her frightening eyes. She walked into the room, not saying anything as she came to circle the struggling Chat. He watched as she made a full rotation around him, her gaze tracing him in a cold, hard way.

Then she came to stand before him, a smug look cracking the steely silence that had stood between them. “So, this is the great Chat Noir. Captured so easily by a simple trick.” Her smile disappeared as she rested two of her fingers under his chin to keep his face even with hers. “Pathetic.”

Chat shook away her fingers, his eyes burning with malice as his gaze returned to the dark haired girl before him. “I don’t need to worry about myself.” He barked. “Ladybug will be here soon. She’ll take you down.”

This did nothing more than elicit a laugh from the teen as she snapped her fingers, wrapping a band of light around his forehead to keep his head still. He could feel its warmth uncomfortably well, beads of sweat starting to form around it. “Oh, you poor foolish cat. Don’t you see? Ladybug isn’t here. It’s nearly been an hour since I’ve lit this place up, and she still isn’t here.”

Chloe came closer then, her lips brushing his ear and he wanted so badly to move away. “You’re Lady can’t save you now, Chat.”

She snapped her fingers and his right arm was released from his side, being brought up instead to her own grasp. She held it softly, her eyes looking hungrily at his ring. That’s when he saw the purple outline project before her face as she communicated with Hawk Moth.

When the mask disappeared he saw the way her eyes sparked and turned to his with a mischievous fancifulness that he was almost frightened by.

“That friend of ours, Hawk Moth, just told me something very interesting.” She purred and stepped closer. “Turns out that I can’t take off your Miraculous without using my powers in some way to cancel out the magic. He encouraged me to take any steps necessary.”

Her eyes turned dark and smoldering as she moved even closer. “I’ve always heard rumors that you’re a fantastic kisser. I wonder if they’re true. Besides, I was cheated out of the chance to kiss my guy tonight. So…”

She stepped closer, forcing the light to tilt his head downward as her fingers slid behind his neck and into his hair. Chat felt the panic run through him as he watched the grin melt from her face and her eyes slowly drift shut. He tried to tear away, to move, to do anything, but the harder the struggle the more the bands burned and the more painful everything became. Chloe kept coming, and he felt utterly trapped. Then suddenly she was kissing him.

There was no feeling behind it, at least not on his end, and yet he still felt something. It was an icy cold that started at her lips and seeped through his too his blood beneath. It started spreading through his body, like a virus slowly creeping into every part of him. He doubted that she would need the light bands, the virus of her powers being enough to hold him in place.

Then it spread to his hand and a sharp pain shot from his ring finger up his arm and into his mind. He tried to flinch, to move away, to do anything but with the light ribbon still encircling him the most he could do was huff in pain.

Chloe giggled as she pulled away slightly, lifting his hand and taking hold of the silver ring. “Now, let’s see who the boy behind the mask is.”

Chat was utterly helpless as he felt the familiar circle of his ring is pulled from his finger, his kwami’s strength and courage suddenly leaving him. A painful green flash flared around him and he was left standing with the piercing light that encompassed him burning into his skin and his mind. Tears pricked his eyes and he couldn’t help the hot lump that was forming in his throat.

Plagg, he couldn’t feel him anymore, he was gone from him, his voice no longer there. Plagge, the annoying presence that had been in his life for the past years was suddenly gone. The only thing he could constantly count on for being there and talking to him and supporting him was suddenly gone. It felt as if she had suddenly pulled out his heart and cut away a part. Something was missing, something crucial, and it _hurt._

He heard the sharp intake of breath on Chloe’s part, but he honestly didn’t see her standing before him. He didn’t even notice when she released the bands and he collapsed to the ground on his knees, his hands falling to the floor in a heavy pile in front of him.

Tears flowed from his eyes as he thought about his kwami and felt the sudden emptiness in his chest. He thought this was what he wanted. He thought that this would feel fantastic; the bad luck being gone and Plagg’s annoying presence gone. Hadn’t he wished for this after his mother’s death? Hadn’t he asked for this? Should he be enjoying this?

But he wasn’t. He needed Plagg. He wanted the little cat back. He wanted his friend back.

“Y-you’re Chat Noir?” Chloe bit out above him.

He didn’t respond, didn’t even look up at her. She’d taken a part of him away, and now he couldn’t bear the thought of life without Plagg. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at her. He’d disliked her before, but now…

“I guess I should have known.” She was saying. “You couldn't get enough of the media’s attention, could you? Not only did you have to be the model, but you also had to be the hero that every girl is pining over. Then, of course, you just had to take on that charity case of a girl, didn’t you? That’s the whole reason you asked her out, isn’t it? Just to make it seem like you were the better person?”

She scoffed and let out a bitter bark of a laugh. “I guess that’s the reason you never liked me. I wouldn’t get you the attention you wanted.”

“G-give him back.” She heard quietly as she turned.

Chloe snapped back around to look at the pathetic blond crying on the carpet, a scoff escaping her lips. “Not a chance, pretty boy.”

She snapped her fingers again and forced his wrists to be encircled in the burning gold that she seemed to love to torture him with. It lifted him from the floor and started him walking out of the room and across the inside of the courthouse. “Well, I guess I should let you see your charity case then.”

She dragged the numb teen into another side room, this one being lit by a large bubble of light that sat in the middle. He looked up to see the raven-haired young lady that was collapsed within, red splotches surrounding her.

His lungs stopped working, his heart ceasing momentarily and his stomach dropping. Marinette lay in the bubble, her dress ripped to pieces and her face pale. His feet stumbled over themselves as Chloe shoved him through the light and into the cage with the seemingly lifeless girl.

Adrien was just able to catch himself as he tripped over his own feet and started to fall, his hands coming up to slap down on the carpet. The tears were coming faster, and more frequently as he looked up at Marinette, his eyes tracing her mournfully.

With Plagg gone he felt hollow, but there had still been some part of him that had held out hope, some part of him that had still remained. It was the part that had belonged to Marinette. Now, looking upon her motionless body, he felt even that piece of him dying; slowly shriveling away in his broken chest.

A brief movement caught his eyes and his gaze landed on her chest.

It felt like he had suddenly been dipped into a warm bath, relief washing over him in an amazingly comforting way. He saw now that she was indeed breathing, no blood tainting her pale skin. Her dress was torn to shreds, the red overskirt in chunks around her, giving the illusion of puddles. The only visible mark on the young lady was an angry scarlet bump on her forehead.

Adrien let out a breathy laugh of relief, tears wiped from his face in a frenzy of joy. Part of his sanity was still with him, the girl he cared for was still alive. He got up slowly and crawled over to her, gently reaching down to move some strands that had come loose from her pigtails.

Her eyes opened lazily with his touch and drifted slowly up to his and he nearly wept with joy as her groggy voice reached his ears. “Adrien?”

He smiled and tried to take a deep breathe before choking out, “H-hey, Mari.”

She stared up at him for the longest time, her eyes tracing him in a manner that revealed her not fully being there. She probably had a concussion but there’s nothing Adrien can do about that besides smile and cry at the fact that his friend is still alive. He wants to lean down and kiss her, hold her and never let her go, but he doesn’t move beyond wiping his eyes.

That’s when her eyes seem to come into focus. “Adrien.” She breaths and sits up suddenly, her eyes nearly rolling back into her head. “Adrien, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you in Chat form?”

Her eyes lock on his right hand and the expression that crosses her face was somewhere between pure rage and pure horror. “Wh-where’s your ring? Adrien, what happened to your Miraculous?”

He could hear the panic rising in her voice as her eyes locked back on him. The anxiety was easily shown through her expression and vocal inflections, but the vexation was only seen in her eyes. Her hands grasped his tightly as she sat forward her eyes and hold pleading with him; trying to pry the answer from him.

“Adrien. _What happened to your kwami?_ ” 

It shocked him, the venom and fear in her voice. Why did she care so much that his Miraculous was gone? They still had Ladybug, didn’t they?

“Ch-Chloe took my ring. I...I’m not Chat anymore Marinette.” He said in a stuttered panic as her hands went slack around his. “But-but it’s okay! Ladybug is still coming. She’ll be here any minute to save—”

He was cut short by the look of the girl before him. Her eyes shining with pure betrayal, her features going slack with a gaunt dread that was utterly haunting. Her hands left his to go to her hair and more specifically one to her earrings and the other into her mouth, her teeth biting down on the red painted nails. She gnawed on them with such anxiety that it made Adrien’s skin crawl with nerves.

“Marinette, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t respond for a moment, her eyes drifting to an indistinct spot in space. “You stupid cat.” She hissed, low enough that he thought he’d misheard.

“What?”

“You stupid cat!” She nearly screamed and locked her malice filled eyes back on him, the blue startlingly dark. “You didn’t think, did you? You just thought you could walk in here and get me back without even being careful, and then you expect Ladybug to come and save you just like always! _News flash!_ Ladybug isn’t coming this time.”

Adrien was slapped by her words, the venom of each syllable nearly slapping the air from his lungs. “Wha-what are you talking about?”

Her eyes nearly burned a hole through him before she looked away to bury her face in her hands. “You don’t get it. You’ve never gotten it and now I have to spell it out to you otherwise, you never will.” She took a deep breath before starting, “Ladybug isn’t coming to save us because she’s already here, sitting next to you.”

It was as if the words went in one ear and straight out the other. Adrien couldn’t do anything beyond stare at the girl before him. “I-uh-what are-how—”

“I’m Ladybug you stupid cat!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, ripping her hands away from her face and digging her fingers into his chest painfully as she wrapped her fingers in his shirt, pulling him close as if the proximity would help get the point across. “I’m the girl you’ve been fighting with for years. I’m the girl putting up with your damn puns; putting up with the flirting; putting up with the careless sacrificing; and I’ve put up lately with the fact that you couldn’t figure out that the only girl in the entire city of Paris to have the same hurt and bandaged arm and leg as Ladybug is me!”

That’s what knocked the wind out of Adrien’s lungs. He stared wordlessly at Marinette as her bottom lip quivered and her body shook. Then his eyes traced the red dress he should have recognized earlier. Why hadn’t he noticed the bandages trailing up her right arm, and the others on her leg? He should have been able to see the ocean blue eyes, the raven hair with the blue highlights. He should have recognized the vanilla and bread smell that he’d come to associate with both girls.

He should have recognized the feeling of kissing her.

“If-if you’re Ladybug, then why don’t you transform and get us out of here?” The words stumble out of him, almost like a drunk out of a bar.

She shook her head miserably. “My kwami is at home. She and I got into a fight earlier about her talking to your kwami when we fell asleep together and I just—”

She broke off into tear filled breaths, her eyes trailing down to his throat rather than his face. “God, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t gone to that party none of this would have happened.”

_The party._ Adrien remembered and suddenly a new string of questions cropped up in his mind. “Why did you pretend to be Lady at the party? Why didn’t you just tell me it was you?”

She looked up at him, her eyes scarlet. “And openly make it obvious it was me? Make it so clear that I’m Ladybug? No, thank you, but no. And besides, you seemed so happy that she was there and not me.”

He shook his head. “Not really. The entire time I was worried about you. But, anyway. Why did you leave so early? And why were you crying?”

She shook her head, exhaling through her nose. “You hate both me and Ladybug. You didn’t have to say as much at the dance, I already knew.”

Adrien remembered her saying something like that before she’d disappeared. “Why do you think I hate you?”

She took her hands away from him and sighed, dropping them palms up into her lap. “The things I said to you while I was akumized. The way I treated you. My kwami said she made me say those things with what little control she still had just to make sure that we didn’t end up ki—” She stopped for a second, cutting herself off to take another breath. “To make sure we didn’t hurt you. _I_ didn’t hurt you.”

Adrien watched her as she took another deep breath and drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. He wondered what was running through her head, beyond the obvious. Yeah, what she’s said was bad, but that hadn’t been _her_. It wasn’t Marinette that had said those things, it wasn’t even Ladybug; it was the Akuma.

Adrien shook his head. “I don’t hate you, Marinette.”

Her eyes flicked to him for a moment before locking back on the floor. “Yeah, right.”

“I don’t. I doubt actually that you could ever do anything to make me hate you. I mean, you’re Marinette! You’re always kind, always there to listen, put up with my stupid jokes and puns, always are there at the best and sometimes worst of times, but you’re there.” He stopped for a moment judging whether or not he should share his other thoughts. “Ladybug or not, Marinette I couldn’t hate you either way. I-I really like you.”

She looked over at him, just a glance, but he saw that she was starting to hear him. _Actually_ hear him. “Liar.”

He shook his head again, raising one of his hands and placing the other over his heart. His signature shit-eating grin spreading across his lips. “I’m telling the truth. Cat’s honor.”

He heard the small huff and saw the tiniest crack of a grin at the corner of her mouth. “Stupid cat. I’m nothing but a dumb girl who got herself kidnapped and us stuck in here forever while Chloe is out there trashing everything.”

Adrien looked around them at the bubble. “We may be stuck in here, but we can find a way out. We are the fantastic duo after all.”

That’s when he saw the anger cross her face again. “No, we aren’t. Now all we are is a teen boy and a powerless superhero. You don’t even have your Miraculous anymore. How are we supposed to get out of here without at least one of us having our powers?”

He ignored the painful reminder that Plagg was gone and started thinking. He asked himself the same question. She was right, without powers, there would be no chance of them getting out of there. If he still had cataclysm he could get them out of here easily, but without Plagg…

Then he thought of something. It was crazy, almost Chat Noir jumping in front of a bus for Ladybug crazy (another long story), but it was the only thing he could think of.

He stood abruptly, walking up to the edge of the bubble, reaching out to rest his hand on the smooth, burning surface of the light. Marinette made some noise of disapproval behind him and he could hear her feet sliding away as she no doubt released her knees.

“There’s no use in trying to get through it. I’ve tried everything.”

Adrien let out a slightly bitter laugh, looking over his shoulder at the midnight haired girl. “I’m not trying to get through it.” He said lowly. “I’m simply trying to get its supplier’s attention.”

He pulled back his hand and proceeded with his plan of simply knocking on the side of the bubble in a rhythmic and constant pattern. Marinette hummed somewhere behind him again and he almost felt bad for what he was trying to accomplish.

“What are you planning?”

He glanced at her quickly before turning back to the opening door on the other side of the room. “Something to get you out of here.”

Chloe burst through the door then, her eyes burning and her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she marched into the space. “Will you stop that?!” She barked in her usual lovely way. “I can hear that you know, and I don’t appreciate you sitting there annoying me to death.”

Adrien let his hand fall back to his side. The sight of the akumized young lady was enough to put him into the right mood for acting. His blood ran hot with rage and he felt his fingers curling into fists at his sides. He wanted so badly to snap back at her that it would have saved him a lot of trouble if she had dropped dead from exasperation, but he held his tongue.

“I needed to talk to you.”

Chloe crossed her arms, her hip cocking to one side in a very unfriendly way. “Why would I talk to you, a has-been superhero?” She scoffed.

Adrien took the insult in and let it soak into his mind, fueling his hatred. “You already have my Miraculous, that is true. But why don’t you talk to your friend about having a better prize than that? Why not offer him to have the Chat Noir come and work for him.”

Chloe seemed to consider for a moment on her own before a purple mask appeared before her face. When it disappeared her eyes locked back on Adrien. “He says that’s he’s not sure about this. Why do you suddenly want to work with us?”

He flicked his eyes to the side, trying to indicate Marinette without actually looking at the young woman. Even just her presence was calming him down a little and it was going to ruin everything if he looked at her. “There’s nothing really left for me without my powers. Besides,”—he cracked a grin that boiled with malice—”I need to get revenge on someone.”

He heard the inhale behind him, but he didn’t bother to look back at Marinette. He kept his eyes locked on Chloe, hoping she saw just how enraged he was. There was a moment’s pause, then the purple floating mask returned. He waited as she muttered back and forth with her partner.

The look that was left on her face as the mask disappeared was somewhere between joy, and absolute disgust. “He says that’d be great.”

She raised her hand to drop the bubble, and Adrien gave her one last look to stop her. “On one condition.”

She froze, her fingers hovering just before her. “What’s that?”

He glanced back at Marinette this time, not quite catching the full view of the young lady. “You have to let her go.”

Chloe seemed confused. “If she’s the one you hate then it’d be easier for you to deal with her if she’s still trapped here.”

Adrien smirked cruelly. “I’m a cat, Heartbreaker. I like to hunt and chase things. Any other way simply isn’t fun.”

Chloe seemed to consider, but she didn’t consult her partner this time, and Adrien took that as a good thing. “Alright.” She said after a minute. “She goes free. But if you’re trying to pull anything I will strangle you so fast you won’t be able to get out a single ‘meow’.”

Adrien nodded, understanding. “Deal.”

Chloe released the bubble then and brought the light together into bands that wound around Adrien’s wrists; not binding them, just staying on his skin as a reassurance that he wouldn’t fight back or run. Chloe turned and started out of the room, Adrien followed, feeling his anger rise with every step closer to this girl.

“Adrien.” He hard weakly behind him.

At the door, he stopped and looked back at Marinette, a single quick look that he hoped she’d understand everything.

He was doing this for her.

He winked, and walked out the door, shutting it on the young woman that sat stunned, surrounded by puddles of scarlet fabric.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~Holy fucking hell this one was hard to write. Omfg, why was this so difficult to get out? It’s not even that long!~~ Omg, sorry for the wait you guys, and sorry about this not being very good but just, ugh, I don’t know why it was such a struggle.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug is alone as Adrien has been taken to Papillion as a sacrifice in a hopes for her to save him. Can she get there in time before something happens to her beloved partner?

Marinette couldn’t remember how she got home. She couldn’t recall how she made her way through the police lines as she left the courthouse. She didn’t recollect how she got past the medic teams and navigated her way through the masses of people pooling around the large capitol building. Soon enough, however, she was stumbling through the front door of the bakery and up the stairs to her home and room.

She was forever thankful that her parents had chosen to go out for the evening and now were probably among the masses at the center of town. They couldn’t see her in her torn to shreds dress. They couldn’t glimpse the disarray of her hair or the makeup running down her face as she cried. They couldn’t hear the way she was heaving out the name of the young man that had just sacrificed himself for her.

She burst through the panel into her room. “Tikki?!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice ragged and sharp with tears and quick breaths.

The little kwami came out quickly, her eyes concerned as they landed on her wielder. “Marinette? What happened?”

She shook her head. “I’m such an idiot.” She ran over and started looking for her phone. She needed to see what Chloe had done with Adrien. “Chloe was akumitized again, this time she took me hostage and Chat came to save me. He gave up his miraculous in order to give me a chance at getting away.”

The floating red being next to her gasped, falling all the way to the floor as she seemed to lose her strength. “He gave up Plagg?”

Her voice was so small and hurt that it made Marinette glance at her for a moment before returning her attention to the news stream before her. “H-he did. He also gave himself up to become a servant-partner-thing to Papillion. We need to get him Tikki, before he’s akumitized.”

Tikki didn’t move; didn’t respond; didn’t react. Marinette was concerned but she was too busy. Where could Chloe have taken Adrien?

“Y-yeah, we’ll have to hurry,” Tikki said, and Marinette could feel the rising anger and strength in the kwami’s voice. “I can track his miraculous even if he isn’t in Chat mode, so long as Plagg is still inside. We need to go find him, Marinette.”

Marinette looked down at her little companion as she started rising up from the floor. The look in her eye was so powerful that Marinette was frightened by her friend. Still, she swallowed and nodded.

“Alright. Tikki! Transform me!”

 

But this transformation was different. As the familiar suit fitted to her frame, she felt a new energy coursing through her. It was a white hot burning rage that she felt seep into her heart and down into her very core. When she opened her eyes next everything seemed to be tinted red.

Her hand shot to her side, clutching the yo-yo that hung there in such a vice grip that she was surprised it didn’t shatter. She flipped it open and looked down at the small display screen in her palm, activating the tracking feature.

Soon enough the familiar black and green paw print came to life on the small monitor. The grin that found its home on her lips was anything but friendly. “Found you.” She purred and leaped up to her bed platform and the hatch that leads out into the night air.

She jumped up through the opening and without a single thought of even closing her hatch she threw her yo-yo out and was swinging through the Parisian night, going to save her partner. She headed in the opposite direction of the court house, away from the people and havoc that Chloe’s powers were wreaking on the media and masses.

It was normal for her arms to be sore while swinging, her shoulders aching from suddenly having to take on her straining weight as her inertia carried her through the night. But, tonight was different. Her shoulders were taught, and her arms felt stronger than ever. Her stomach didn’t sink with each dip towards the ground, her mind not even registering where she’d have to throw her yo-yo to keep herself moving.

Her vision seemed to blur into passing lit windows and flying by stone walkways that skidded by under her feet. She barely noticed when her shoulders or hips would knock the sides of buildings, or when her knees scraped across the ground as she swung too low. Her body felt almost like it was vibrating, but also like it was numb and not moving. She seemed to be moving on her own and she knew just how she was doing it.

It wasn’t hard for her to tell just how much this ‘Plagg’ meant to Tikki. She could feel the sorrow that her kwami was sharing with her, the simple aching in her heart as she thought about Chat being alone in a dark place with Papillion. But Tikki’s worry was something completely different.

She could feel the decades of friendship the pair shared. She could feel the connection they both had, and the bond that separated them from the other kwamis, but would always bring the two back together. No matter how long it took, no matter how difficult it was to get their wielders to show their real faces, they always made it happen, just to see each other one more time before something happened.

At the thought of something happening to Plagg or Chat, she felt a pain run through her heart, and down to her legs to force her over a building's chimney—a jump she usually wouldn’t have been able to clear. The hate she felt bubbling up inside her, and the way she felt her insides twisting into a mournfully putrid knot. She realized with a start, this wasn’t the first Plagg. 

There had been ones before him, that had all died or been captured or all sorts of things had happened, and so far this was Tikki’s favorite. She’d bonded with this Plagg, had fun with him and had grown with him.

She needed to keep this Plagg alive.

She couldn’t fail him again.

Not again.

She followed the paw print in its track out of town and over to a—what looked like—church or large structure such as that on her small map. She looked at the opposite shore of the river she stood by. Being the right map—which it always is—the building in question was actually a large clock tower with a large stained glass window at the top.

She was taken aback a moment by the look of the building. It was basically a replica of Notre Dame, just simply made into a clock tower instead of a cathedral. It brought back memories of her and Chat meeting up on top of the old church for their bi-nightly patrols. She recalled the first time they met there. The first time they had met. The way he’d admired her even without knowing her...

Chat’s symbol had stopped moving somewhere in the middle-left of the building. Her grin turned into a crooked smile as she took off, slinging her yo-yo’s infinite string around the tip of the clock tower and swinging her weight across the cold waters below.

Ladybug soon found the entrance of the building, an already blown out window on the second story. She crawled through soundlessly, landing gracefully on the floor within. She pulled out her tracker and checked once again. It now had changed views to an internal mapping of the building, Chat’s symbol moving around a room that was right above her.

There was something about the building that bothered her. The building itself seemed utterly void of anything. There was barely any light and nothing filling the room. It seemed to even prevent the outside sound from entering. But the oddest part of how new the building seemed. The floors were polished and nice and the walls smelled of fresh paint. So, why was that window blown out?

That’s when she noticed the movement pattern of Chat’s symbol out of the corner of her eye. It was jerking around, being thrown from side to side within a five-foot diameter and it seemed to be moving about the room slightly. Then she saw the moment in which the symbol seemed to be picked up and launched across the room by an invisible force, slamming into one of the far walls.

She heard the thump and imagined Adrien struggling with Papillion for his miraculous, the young teen being side swiped by the mysterious assailant and being thrown away easily.

Her blood started rushing faster, her ears growing hot and her breath coming in short sharp intakes as she looked up at the ceiling, scanning for the nearest way up. That’s when she saw the staircase at the far end of the room. She didn’t bother with running, instead slinging her yo-yo around the top railing and swinging herself towards it at full power.

Before she was able to smack into the wall she flipped up onto the stairs then back up into the room above. Just as empty as the one below, but on the other side she saw a door, some dim light flickering under it.

Her heart was hammering, her breath coming out in enraged growls now as she heard more thuds and watched the symbol as she took off running towards the door. She heard curses from an unfamiliar voice in the room and saw on the screen as Chat’s symbol was once again thrown across the room and slapped into the opposite wall, this time not moving after making contact.

Ladybug’s blood ran cold in her veins looking down at the motionless symbol as she neared the door. She expected the door to be unlocked when she got there, or at least to open. No such luck. She smacked face first into it and wheeled back with a hand pressed to her now bleeding nose.

She growled her malice towards the door and started futily kicking at the wood. It didn’t budge, and neither did Chat. She was getting desperate, and she needed to get in. She stood back and threw her yo-yo into the air, not knowing what else to do.

“Lucky Charm!” She screamed in anguish as her throat nearly gave out from the tears of rage and fear crept up on her.

This time, she knew exactly what to do with the polka-dotted crowbar that fell into her outstretched hands. She quickly drove the metal between the door jam and the wood and pried the damn thing from its hinges. She used her shoulder then, shoving the infernal aperture out of the way and onto the floor.

“Adrien!” She screamed as she entered the room, letting her eyes take in the sight she saw before her.

Where Chat’s symbol was appeared a tall man in a suit slumped over on the floor, his arms and legs curled slightly as he breathed shallowly. He was no Chat Noir but Ladybug was able to spot Chat’s ring sitting on the floor beside the man, almost being touched by a small pool of blood that was forming under him.

Her hate immediately melted into something close to pure terror at the site of him and the space around her.

The room itself was covered in the same golden light that had been at the courthouse, but it was weaker, and in short patches instead of strong bright bands. Butterflies, all white and innocent looking, floated around the room. Hundreds of them, all simply existing in the stuffy space. She saw some had been afflicted by the light, their wings coated in the gold as they fluttered lazily to and fro. 

Ladybug pried her eyes away from the collapsed figure she presumed was Papillion to search for her partner.

There, across the room, she found a tall pale figure with a long silver blade in hand holding a dark haired girl up against the wall by her throat. Chloe was clawing with all her might as the blade hovering just above her heart was pulled back, getting ready to strike.

That’s when the golden eyes of the teen locked on the red clad superhero and her strangled voice called out for her help. The pale young man didn’t move beyond a slight twitch of his fingers on the handle of the sword he had ready to plunge into Chloe’s ribs.

Ladybug had barely any time to react and even less time to think about what she was doing as she instinctively threw her yo-yo out to wrap around the young man’s arm and pull him away from the akumitized teen. She threw him across the room where he smacked into the wall and sunk down to the floor.

Her body moved automatically, going to Chloe and grabbing at the hairpin she’d noticed the young woman wearing at the courthouse. She pulled the object free and threw it to the floor, smashing her foot down atop it.

“Get out of here, now.” She hissed at the girl as the Akuma was released among the other butterflies.

The young woman nodded and took off running as Ladybug’s eyes locked back on the collapsed young man that was against the other wall. Well, he wasn’t collapsed anymore. He was up again, his dual swords ready at his sides as he took off running towards the door, trying to get there before Chloe could.

Ladybug swore under her breath and dodged her eyes back to the Akuma that was batting its wings among the rest of its kind. She needed to save Chloe before purifying the Akuma. She slung her yo-yo out again, this time just barely able to deflect the strike the young man had swung towards Chloe. The teen shrieked and took off back towards Ladybug.

“Use your teleport thing!” Ladybug shouted at her, pulling back her weapon to get ready for another defense.

Chloe stopped dead in her tracks and nodded, bringing her hands up to form a bubble of light around her. Ladybug watched in slow motion as the new opponent sprinted towards the golden young woman, leaping into the air and bringing his swords above his head. She could do nothing more than watch and pray.

Just a moment before the young man landed, bringing his blades down so hard that they pierced the wooden floor Chloe disappeared. Ladybug let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding as the young man looked up at her, his cold green eyes locking with hers as his hands grasped the handle of his swords, starting to pry them free.

Ladybug knew he was still dangerous, and still possibly an enemy of hers, but she needed to take care of this akuma first. She opened her yo-yo and went about purifying the butterfly, doing so with a worried heart.

Who was this young man? Was this Adrien, and if so, what had happened to him?

Cleansing the akuma did nothing more to her than plunging the room into darkness as the golden light was taken away. It was also a problem, she realized, being trapped in the same room as this new and threatening akuma, with no light around to aid her.

After releasing the now white butterfly back to his brethren she turned back to face the newly akumatized threat. She didn’t have to turn far, in fact, she ran into him. He stood just before her, nearly seeming to tower over her in a menacingly dark way.

Ladybug jumped back a step, her chest heaving with surprise as a small peep escaped her lips. He didn’t speak, nor did he move beyond his head following her flustered actions. She studied him, not believing this was the young man she had just seen only minutes ago in his handsome glory.

He stood just as tall as before, but his once tan skin was gone, replaced by morbidly pale complexion decorated by black lines that stretched from his jaw up to his eyes spanning out in an almost artistic pattern. His eyes were terrifyingly absorbed by an acid green, no pupil to be seen. He stood in a long black jumpsuit made of what looked like silk, gently wrapped tight around his waist by a single white silken band. He would have looked like a doll if not for the two long silver swords now hanging in his hands at his sides.

It looked almost as if his face was made of china, and the more he cracked the more the ugly face beneath was revealed.

She took in his new look and being with a sort of grotesque curiosity. This is what Adrien looked like when akumitized? It made sense really. Him always being forced to be perfect and always look amazing constituted the doll face. The swords representing his practices with fencing and other activities.

She found his new look oddly beautiful, in a sort of china doll sort of way.

But then again, those dolls were known to creep out adults and scare off children.

She watched him cautiously for a reaction as her eyes scanned him. “A-Adrien?” She asked tentatively.

His eyes flicked up to hers, the pale green making her heart skip. “I’m not Adrien. I’m Simulacrum, but I’ll forgive you for your ignorance.”

She was shocked by his voice. No longer was it the honey smooth and warm tones she was used to, instead it was replaced by a melody of higher octaves that almost sounded like they echoed through him before coming out his porcelain throat.

“What I won’t forgive you for is your interference with my revenge.” He stated coolly and began to slowly walk towards her.

Ladybug started slowly backing away, trying to keep the same distance between them. She didn’t know what he was capable of, and she really didn’t want to find out. “Okay, Simulacrum, it’s nice to meet you. I know I may have messed things up for you, but um—uh—I—uh—”

She struggled to find something, anything, she could tell him to keep him from doing anything bad to her. That’s when she felt the wall press into her back as she ran out of room. Her mouth kept moving as silent words arrived at the ever shrinking air space between them. His acid green eyes stayed locked on hers as he came to stand just inches from her, his arms and swords still hanging limply at his sides.

“I was created out of anger towards Chloe.” He admitted to her, his voice now sounding like the ceramic of his face was scraping along stone. “I have no desire to hurt you, Ladybug, nor the girl beneath your mask. But I will make an exception since you are keeping me from my want.”

Ladybug scanned him slowly, wishing, praying, for something to catch her eye that would allow her to try and get through to him.

That’s when she spotted it, the small metal pendant that had once gleaned white on the collar of his shirt as they’d danced. She recognized the pendant from a picture she saw once while at his home.

“That was your mother’s.” She pointed out, her hand carefully coming up to stroke the jewel. “I saw it in a picture from when you were younger. She was wearing it on her lapel when she hugged you.”

_His mother._

She felt tears coming to her eyes as she remembered the way she had held him, crying and tears welling up in her own throat as he’d mourned the loss of his parent. She took a shaky breath and focussed her eyes back on the now blackened pearl at the center.

“You were so happy in the picture. I remember you told me it was taken a week before your mother disappeared. You two had gone to the park to see the music festival and had stayed longer than it had actually gone on for. After the park had cleared out she pulled you close and Nathalie had been told to take a picture, so you could both remember the moment.

“You’d spoken about it with such love, and just the slightest grin on your face…”

She trailed off for a moment, hearing what her ears were able to decipher as cracking coming from above her. She ignored it as other memories came to mind, of their night together.

“I remember finding you on my balcony and thinking that something was wrong. You looked so broken, and when I found out why I couldn’t help but cry along with you. You never saw it, though. I had to be strong to help you.”

She took another shaky breath, closing her eyes for a moment to steel herself. “You-you wore it in honor of her, didn’t you?”

That’s when she heard the clear chipping and cracking sound of china breaking. Her eyes shot up to the young man that stood before her as his face began to chip away, revealing the blank black face beneath. One of his swords disappeared from his grasp as his hand was brought up to gently touch his disintegrating cheek. His eyes drifting away from her as he listened to the sound of himself breaking.

She saw the tears that were in his eyes, the liquid glistening brighter than his already shiny complexion and it brought a hot lump up to her throat. To think that simply talking about something he seemed to have gotten over could break him down had her nearly collapsing in sorrow herself. He clearly wasn’t over it, and she wasn’t either.

She wanted to help Adrien, and she knew he wanted help as well. To think that this brave young man had grown up in such a cold and dark home, basically without parents and always being forced to obey the will of others, and still wanting to sacrifice everything just for her...she couldn’t handle it without almost crying. And here he was, still honoring the only parent he really ever had with such a simple gesture that to anyone else would have seemed meaningless but to him and her, in that moment meant everything...

She reached up with both of her hands to gently hold his jaw. “Adrien,” she whispered as he fixed his eyes back on her. “I know you’re still in there, and I know you still hurt, so please, come back to me.”

“I-I can’t do it on my own, M-My Lady.” He choked out the nickname, it seeming to burn his mouth as he stumbled over the familiar words, now turned alien.

She nodded, smiling through her sorrow at the young man she had just found again as more pieces of his perfectly made face fell away. “I know, just let me help you.”

It took him a moment, but the other sword disappeared from his hand and his arms fell loosely back down to his sides, allowing her to grab away the little jewel and crush it in her hands. She felt a pang of guilt as the pieces fell to the floor.

Then the Akuma was cleansed and Adrien was reverted to the young man he had been earlier that night. “What? Where am I? Ladybug? What—”

He cut himself short as he remembered what had all gone on that night. Ladybug couldn’t look at this young man. She couldn’t bare to face him after what all had happened tonight. She stooped to pick up his mother’s pendent and gently cradled it in her fingers as she walked across the room wordlessly to retrieve the ring that sat at the side of the now barely moving body of Papillion.

She worried not for their adversary, knowing her miraculous power would put everything back to normal once she was able to retrieve the crowbar that still sat outside the busted down door.

She picked up the ring carefully, studying the miraculous as she turned and started back towards the young man that she knew so well, and yet nothing about at this point.

She stopped just inches before him, first holding out his mother’s jewel. As he took it and pinned it back to his collar. He kept his hands there for a moment, gently touching the familiar object.

He started lowering his hands as he spoke, “Ladybug, I—”

He was cut short as the young woman’s hand shot out to grasp his right wrist, not roughly, but quickly enough to surprise him. He gasped and almost took a step back if not for noticing her bringing his ring up to the finger it rightfully belonged to.

Slowly she slid the silver miraculous back onto the young man’s hand, watching as the little cat kwami came spiraling back out with a grateful spew of thanks to the both of them. His train of curses towards Adrien that followed was cut short by the look of the two teens.

Ladybug stood before Adrien with her head down towards the floor and her hand still lightly grasping his. Adrien stood watching his ladybug, his eyes tracing every detail of her as she seemed to go through an impossible internal struggle.

“Ladybug, I—” he was once again cut off by her moving, but this time it was her moving to leave.

He reached to try and grab her hand as she went, but his attempt was in vain. She didn’t look back as he started stumbling after her, his body weak from the events of the night. She felt exhausted, both mentally and physically, and as she crossed the moonlit room she had to use up the rest of her energy not to stop at the door as he called to her.

“Marinette, please.”

His voice was so desperate, so pleading that it made her heart ache. But she couldn’t do anything about it. The more she tried to make herself speak, the less her mind was working.

There was nothing to be said. What does one say to the boy that had been the cause of her tearing herself apart, then sacrificed himself in place of her so she could get away? Thanks? No, and especially now. She understood more about him than she would have cared too. She knew now his struggles, and she understood his pain, but she had never wanted that. She had never wanted to learn all of these things in this way. The information forced out of him because of some cruel cosmic joke that seemed to keep wanting to taunt him.

No, there was nothing to say.

She bent down and picked up her crowbar.

She went to the roof and released the ladybug power that cleansed the city of tonight’s actions.

She went home and released her transformation.

She laid in bed, and cried herself to sleep, thinking of a boy she wanted so desperately to help, but knew there was no way she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~_I feel like shit, I am shit for taking so long on this, and I hope you enjoy._~~ I honestly never thought this would take me this long. Sorry guys. I’ll try to work on the other part later today if I start doing better.
> 
> Also, my design for akumitized!adrien was inspired by this\/\/\/ by @naptillmorning at tumblr. I hope I did it justice. ~~I’m sorry.~~
> 
> >>>http://naptillmorning.tumblr.com/post/138315866323/a-short-little-comic-based-on-the-idea-of-adrien


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After so long and so much had gone on, what was there left to say? What was there left to do? Adrien is stuck as he tries to figure out what to do to get Marinette to talk to him again. Have things been ruined? (Let’s find out).

It was two days before Adrien was finally allowed to walk out of the white limo and back into his own house, but he still wasn’t home. He had returned, yes, and he was walking on his own, but the thoughts that followed him made the walls around him seem too open, too empty, too cold. The silence seemed to weigh down on him; pressing in on the ponderings that had been tailing him all day. 

The doctors had refused to release him from the hospital for an entire day after he’d been transformed into Simulacrum. They claimed the akumatixation had left his body taxed and was the reason for the upset stomach and constant headaches; not even bothering to consider the cause might have been the black haired girl that had walked away from him.

His entire stay in the medical facility had basically consisted of him thinking about the look of Marinette in her Ladybug outfit, her head drooping and her shoulders tense as she’d made her way back over to him. She’d been cradling his mother’s pendant, and his ring. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t surprised that she’d treated him that way. What was she supposed to say?

_Thank you?_ He thought bitterly and immediately chastised himself from allowing the negative emotion to creep into his mind.

Then he remembered that the police had gone to collect Papillion the day they found him. They’d found the villain in his butterfly infested outcove, the man coming willingly as the officers had escorted him to the car that took him to his new home; prison.

So, with that threat out of the way Adrien allowed himself to be tainted by the bitterness he’d been holding back for so long. Why hadn’t she told him when she’d found out he was Chat Noir? How hard could it have been? _Oh, Adrien, you don’t need to worry. I won’t tell anyone. I’m really good at keeping secrets; for example: I’m Ladybug!_ See, not that hard.

He sighed and flopped onto his bed in a way that his throbbing head didn’t much appreciate. He groaned and felt the little kwami in his breast pocket squirm. He lifted his jacket and allowed the little cat to come flying out.

“I think you’ve moaned enough for the day, Adrien. Heck, I think you’re covered for the next year or so.” Plagg pipped in his oh so sarcastic manner.

“Shut up, Plagg.” Adrien huffed as he turned onto his stomach to bury his face into his pillows.

Plagg frowned, flying towards the top of his wielder's head. “Oh, come on. You should really let her go. Cheese is so much better! Which reminds me, I’ve yet to have my hourly Camembert.”

Note even the new joking tone in Plagg’s voice was enough to stir the blond into looking up. He didn’t want to be here right now. He didn’t want to be anywhere right now. He felt like changing into Chat might help things but he knew it wouldn’t change a thing. There was no reason to change into Chat, and what difference would it make? A cool costume and some extra abilities? Not really helpful in this kind of a situation.

That’s when he heard the little voice of his kwami again, ringing out through the silent room, but something was different. Unlike usual the trickster side of his voice was gone, and his volume was much lower. There was a warmness and a loving feel to his voice that was so uncharacteristic it made the blond look up. He wasn’t even talking about cheese!

He was talking about his old wielder’s and how he’d chosen all of them because they needed him. He spoke of a young African boy named Amir who had been cursed with a life on the outskirts of his village as a goat herder. Amir had fallen for the village seer’s daughter, who just happened to be the Ladybug of the time. Plagg came into his life to help the young man find some joy, and to help him finally win over the heart of his beloved fortune-teller in training.

There was another young man, a Japanese scholar who had been cast out by his family to live in the city without a penny to his name. Plagg had chosen him because he could feel the feral heart within the lad, but had been anything but reluctant in letting the boy go. The young man had found a home with a friend by the time their partnership had run out, a girlfriend would show up almost every other day and he was the top editor of a local newspaper.

The little cat chuckled adoringly. “That was one of the only times I turned out to be good luck for one of my chosen.”

He moved on to talk about a young man who was an soldier in World War II. The two of them couldn’t be parted, their friendship had grown to be almost a brotherhood. Then the night came when the young man had dug himself a foxhole to hide in for the night, and had dug right into the top of a German tunnel without realizing it. He fell through, and the rest of it came toppling down on top of him after a mortar hit the ground above.

Plagg went silent for a moment and Adrien could feel just how tense the little cat was while talking about the memory. “I was eventually able to get to his ring. It took us about an hour to dig ourselves out, and when we finally surfaced...she was standing there.”

Plagg filled his lungs up and let out a long and drawn out sigh. His eyes had become far away, fixated on the young woman that he must have been seeing in his mind’s eye. Adrien had never seen Plagg like this before, and he never knew how much his friend actually...felt, and how many memories he carried with him.

“A-a young cadet by the name of Edith was there, maybe just turned nineteen, she was that young. Well, she wasn’t really a cadet, she’d just stolen the uniform so she could sneak into the fray to try and find wounded that she could bring back to camp.

“She happened to find us clawing our way out of the dirt. Sean was a gentleman about everything but was shy, not wanting to speak as we proceeded to help out with collecting others. I could feel her...I knew she was transformed from the way she moved and how easily she could lift the unconscious men. I knew that Tikki was with her, and this was the next Ladybug.”

Another pause and Plagg smiled softly, shaking his head slightly as he closed his eyes. “We were staying in the medical tent that night and Tikki and I were able to meet up again. It had been somewhere around forty years since we last saw each other. We got to talking and caught up. She’d helped out a few young women in straightening out their lives and had even kept one of them from marrying into an abusive relationship.”

A low chuckle came from the kwami’s throat as he no doubt recalled the night. Adrien could just picture it. Plagg and Tikki sitting together in a small medicine bag, both munching on some army rations. The two friends laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

“I fell for her,” Plagg said after a moment.

Adrien felt his breath suck in. Never before had he even entertained the idea of Plagg loving anything else but cheese. Now, here they were sitting together as his companion admitted his deepest feelings for his partner in crime fighting, and for the friend he’d known for so long.

“There’s something you need to know about kwamis Adrien,” Plagg said, his voice suddenly warmer than expected. “Whenever a Miraculous is broken, or stolen, or the wielder is killed, we kwamis dies as well. I-I’m not the first Plagg. In fact, I’m probably the youngest of all the kwamis. Tikki…” another long sigh. “Tikki is the oldest. She’s survived the longest and has seen every other kwami there has ever been be born and die and be born again. So, when I came around she made it clear that she’d be a good friend of mine—a companion—but she didn’t allow anything beyond that. Which I understand. But, that doesn’t keep me from loving her all the same.”

His eyes opened then, focusing on Adrien with a strangely soft devotion. “You don’t love Marinette because she’s Ladybug.”—he shook his head—”You love Ladybug because she’s Marinette. You never really loved Ladybug, it was always the girl under the mask that you loved, and you know it. It was me that made you think it was only Ladybug that you loved. I think you realized that the night your mom died. The same night you decided to stay with Marinette. Why else would you have done that?”

Adrien was caught speechless by Plagg’s straightforward honesty. Never before had his friend been this streamlined or complacent. It caught him off guard, but not enough to keep him from being a little stubborn. “You’re right, Plagg,” he said and sat up, “but I don’t see what this has to do with what’s going on right now.”

Plagg floated up off his pillow, coming to suspend himself just before his wielder’s face. “What’s going on right now is exactly what I’m talking about. Tikki and I are just like you and Marinette. Every time Tikki and I see each other it’s like meeting a new person; our personal growth making into slightly different variations of our personalities. Marinette just revealed herself as Ladybug so that’s going to be a new side to her you’ve never seen before, and you just sacrificed yourself for her. Imagine if it had been the other way around! You two are going to have to relearn each other and that is going to take time. Just, start off slow, try and let her get comfortable with the two of you again.”

Adrien watched his little friend float back over to his pillow, wondering what had gotten into the little cat. “I never knew you were so wise, Plagg.”

The kwami seemed to recover his old demeanor faster than Adrien could blink. “Yeah, well, knowledge like that doesn’t come cheap. I’m starving.”

Adrien chuckled and headed for the door with his companion joining him in their conquest to find the beloved Camembert. “I’ll get you a whole wheel of cheese this time.”

Plagg didn’t say anything until the teen reached the door, landing softly on his chosen’s shoulder. “Hey, Adrien. Thanks for being my favorite so far.”

Adrien smiled and pet his feline friend’s head with a single finger. “Thanks for always being there.”

Plagg shook and batted away Adrien’s finger. “Alright, enough of this sappy stuff, I’m withering away over here.”

  


He had a few days to plan, the weekend being the blessing he’d been waiting for. He wrote out the notes, ordered the specially colored flowers, and placed his request on the truffles he knew his father would get for him. Then, all he had left to do was wait, and hope that things went according to play.

Monday, when he rose to get ready for school, he wore a different shirt than usual. He slipped on a dark green undershirt and a black dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. A simple pair of jeans covered his legs and his feet were clad in a new pair of black hightops. He smiled at himself in the mirror as he lugged his bookbag over his shoulder and hoisted his box of gifts.

The gorilla was waiting for him downstairs, he requested to be taken to school early, and the bodyguard was always gracious in requests pertaining to school.

The ride over was one of the most nerve-racking experiences of his life. He felt the muscles in his stomach slowly tying themselves into knots, and he tried to will them to calm down. It was no use, his knees were bouncing, his hands were sweating, and his mind was racing. He had everything he needed, so why was he so nervous?

Oh, that’s right. They drove by the bakery then and he felt his heart jump up into his throat. He was so scared of how she’d react. Would she hate him for this? Would she laugh at him? Would she shrug him off? He wasn’t sure.

When he got to the school he looked back over at the box of surprises. He thought of Marinette and how simply beautiful she was. How her smile could light up his day, merely because she was that amazing. Everything about her was honest, uncomplicated, and absolutely dazzling.

He shook his head, reaching into the big box. He plucked out a single flower, and the folded note that sat at the bottom. The box of truffles and the rest of the beuque remained. He thanked the Gorilla and took off out of the car, first going to his locker to drop off a few books, the flower gently being toyed with between two of his fingers.

Then he went to her locker, looking at the metal door and taking a deep breath for strength. He leaned forward and slipped the paper in through one of the air slots in the metal. There, it was done, and there was no going back now.

That’s when he heard the doors open behind him and he went dashing to the other side of the locker room, to the doorway that he slipped just out of. He heard the soft voice of Rose and the pitchy tone of Jeleka. He sighed and let his back rest upon the wall as he waited.

_She usually shows up about now…_

Then he heard the familiar voice of the black and blue haired girl he’d been waiting for. He slipped back inside the doorway, avoiding her gaze, then back out as she entered the locker room.

 _I might as well invite the wall to dance,_ he thought jokingly and watched as young woman went to her locker, twisting in her combo and opening the door.

His heart fell as he watched her open the door, the letter still wedged in the metal slots along the top, just out of her view. Was she going to see it?

It didn’t look good. He waited, holding his breath and praying for her to see the piece of paper just above her head. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears, his fingers digging into the door jams as the seconds ticked on.

Then the moment in which she reached up to close the door came and his heart fell to the pit of his stomach. “Please.” He whispered.

Sometimes luck was nice to him, and this was one of those times. As she swung the metal slab shut the letter fluttered to the ground, and as she turned to walk away the paper came to land gracefully on her foot. She looked down, and he could see the way her brow furrowed as she took in the curious envelope.

She bent and took it up, looking around before opening and scanning the handwritten letter.

A beat.

Another.

And another.

Adrien waited, his anxiety rising as she read the letter he had so thoughtfully composed. It confessed his feeling for her, confessed his wanting to get to know her, and confessed that he would be alright if she just wanted to be friends. At the end it requested her presence in the nurse's office so he could talk to her. He’d chosen the nurse’s office just in case one of them fainted and needed help (would more than likely be him).

He waited then watched her face light up as she looked around again. He dodged behind the wall just as she looked his way and he felt his heart skip as he waited to the count of eleven, the dark haired girl probably rereading the letter that had come straight from his heart.

Then her beautiful voice erupted from the room with such an adorable squeak that he had to suppress the chuckle that bubbled up his throat as a smile split his lips. “Alya!” She shouted and came sprinting from the locker room, too fast to notice him. “Alya!”

Adrien took that as his cue to take his position. He moved into the nurse’s office, the nurse being kind enough to leave for as long as Marinette and him were in there. He thanked her profusely as she smiled and left.

Now it was another waiting game. How long would she brag to her friend? How long would it take for the beautiful young woman to come back?

Not long.

The door tentatively opened only a few moments later as a dark head slipped partway inside. Adrien moved his hands behind his back as he watched Marinette peak in, hiding the flower he held delicately in his hands. He smiled warmly and Marinette’s cheeks seemed to be peppered with a cotton candy pink as she made her way into the room, closing the door behind her.

Then she erased the distance between them slowly, cautiously. Her eyes flicked over the boy before her skeptically, scanning him for any sign of what he was thinking. He simply smiled and brought his free hand forward, bowing low and smiling up to her.

When he stood again Marinette’s face was incredulous. The action seemed so Chat-like, and yet, here’s Adrien Agreste bowing before her.

“Nice to see you, miss.” He said and brought the color spattered rose out into view, the girl’s eyes going wide. “You’ll have to excuse the flower choice, I didn’t know which one you liked best, so I just wanted to get one of each.”—he held it out to her with a charming grin—”I hope a rainbow rose will do.”

She hesitated before reaching out to take the flower in hand, spinning the slender stem between her fingers thoughtfully.

“Well, a little birdy told me that you like fashion. What a coincidence! I happen to be a model. That’s one thing we have in common, let’s start from there.”

Then, much like his loud-mouthed kwami had done just a few days before, Adrien began to talk, and didn’t stop. He spoke of things he liked and things he’d found out from Nino and Alya that she liked. He asked her simple yes or no questions about her favorite things or places to go and she was gracious enough in answering him.

After about ten minutes of this game he stopped, a slight smirk working at the corner of his lips. “Well, it seems we have a lot in common, and yet so much more that I’d like to get to know about you.”

He took a moment to bring up his hand and look at it, seeming to think about his next actions even though he knew exactly what he was doing. He held it out to the girl before him, her eyes trailing down his arm to the outstretched appendage.

“Would you like to be my friend?” He asked, a smile crossing his mouth.

A beat.

And another.

And another.

Maybe it was all too shocking? Maybe it had been too much for her?

Her eyes were locked on his fingers, and Adrien could hear his heart beating in his ears. Had he overstepped? After not talking since the night of the dance, had this all been just a stupid idea?

Then he realized he was staring into the ocean as her eyes came up to his, tears just slightly wetting her eyelashes. And before he could even react her arms were around his neck and he stumbled back a step as Marinette threw herself around him in a bone crushing hug.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and felt it when her breath danced across his neck, her face nuzzling close into their embrace. He was laughing, he realized, and he looked lovingly down at the girl in his arms, the slightly shaky breaths racking her frame making him laugh even more.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” He asked, a tint of amusement to his tone. She mumbled something unintelligible into his chest. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

She pulled away then, a hand coming up to brace the back of his neck as she pressed her lips fiercely to his. His mind went numb and the utterly pure joy that began to course through his veins was enough to make him leap, but the girl currently draped over him was holding him back.

Then she pulled away and he was able to smile down at her tear streaked grinning face. “I said, you’re an idiot’.”

Adrien couldn’t help the chuckle that rolled out of his throat as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Marinette sniffed and wiped her cheeks, amazing him with how fast she could recover. “I’m sorry, Adrien. I just—”

He stopped her with a single finger over her lips. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, my Lady.”

That’s when he saw the familiar spark in her sky eyes. She pulled back and playfully pushed him away. “You can’t call me that now!”

He laughed and smiled over at the (failing at) pouting girl. “If you don’t want me to call you that, I won’t. But what am I to call you instead?”

Marinette seemed to think. “You can’t call me that. Alya will notice. But you can call me, ‘Princess’. I like that one.”

Adrien gave another shit-eating grin and bowed again. “As you wish, Princess.”

Marinette smiled and looked down at the rose in her hands, twirling it as her cheeks were frosted with pink. “So, any other big questions you wanted to ask me?”

Adrien nodded, pulling out his phone and quirking a slight smile. “Actually, yes.” He said and walked over to Marinette, looking her up and down. “Are you by chance in need of a black dress?”

  


Adrien sat atop a familiar rooftop as he dipped his clawed finger back into the box of truffles that sat next to him, his long glove extension piercing another cocoa covered confectionary. The funeral had been today, and it had been a beautiful ceremony. He had very much anticipated crying, but with Marinette at his side and her hand in his, he’d been more than able to hold things together.

She’d slipped the piece of paper into his hand on the way out of the limo and up to her door as he’d walked her home—having asked the Gorilla for the extra five blocks so they could talk. Then she’d disappeared into the bakery with a woft of vanilla being the only thing left behind.

Besides the note that is.

It was simple. Her beautifully clean hand scrawled out on a piece of plain paper.

_Patrol tonight?_

He’d looked up to see her staring down at him, her eyes soft and her smile sweet. He nodded and threw a thumbs up to her. She nodded in return and disappeared over the edge of his view.

So, it had been set, and here he was, waiting for his Ladybug and eating the expensive truffles he’d decided not to give to her earlier.

He heard her footsteps long before she probably thought he could. He didn’t have to look as her yo-yo came to wrap around the chimney to his right and she hoisted herself weightlessly up onto the tiles. He didn’t have to guess at the quirk of her eyebrow as she examined the leather clad teen laying on his back with an arm behind his head and the other dangling a chocolate over his mouth, the open heart shaped box sitting just next to him.

She came over and sat down next to him, the box in between them, and watched as he bit off the chocolate and licked the rest from his claw.

“May I have one, Kitty?” She asked after a moment.

Chat grinned at the moon that shone so brightly above them and motioned to the box. “You, my Lady, can have as many as you’d like.”

He could feel her smile as she murmured a quiet thanks and laid down, taking a cocoa covered bon bon from the box and popping it between her lips.

Chat did the same, savoring in the flavor and the warm feeling the chocolate left in him.

It was a beautiful night with the memory of chocolate on his lips, the stars out above his head, and his Lady to his side. His kwami was with him and he could feel Plagg’s contentment and how it mixed with his own. For once, everything was good, and right, and calm.

Chat shared a smile with the stars, his little secret that he’d finally found his home and it was here, on an old roof of a Parisian skyline with a box of chocolates, the stars floating around him, and the love of his life by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this had been a journey and a half but here it is. If you guys still want an epilogue please tell me, I don’t know if I’m going to write one but here you guys go for the last part. ~~Yes, I cried at Plagg as well. Don’t judge me.~~


End file.
